Viavi Solutions

Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a US-listed optical components manufacturer whose Optical Security and Performance Products (OSP) division is one of the principal precision thin-film coating houses for space and aerospace instrumentation. The division traces its lineage to Optical Coating Laboratory Inc. (OCLI), founded in Santa Rosa, California in 1948 as one of the first commercial thin-film coating operations; JDSU acquired OCLI in 2000 and the OSP segment became part of Viavi Solutions when JDSU separated its network-test and optical-security businesses in August 2015.^[1]

The EO-relevant product line centres on the OSP division's custom optical filter and coating capability, manufactured at the Santa Rosa facility (ITAR-compliant, ISO 9001, AS9100 certified) and at the newer Chandler, Arizona production site. The division covers the full spectral range from deep ultraviolet through long-wave infrared, with particular depth in the 0.75-5.0 um near- to mid-wave infrared band where spaceborne spectrometers typically operate.^[2]

The flagship EO-instrument-relevant product is the Linear Variable Filter (LVF): a wedged bandpass filter providing position-dependent wavelength selectivity that enables compact, pushbroom-compatible spectrometers without moving parts. Viavi LVFs have accumulated multiple NASA deep-space flight programs: the LEISA instrument on New Horizons, the OVIRS spectrometer on OSIRIS-REx, and the MISE order sorting filter assembly on Europa Clipper (launched October 2024, MISE spectral range 0.8-5.0 um).^[3] The SPHEREx all-sky survey mission (launched March 2025) uses Viavi LVFs spanning 0.75-5.0 um alongside a dichroic beamsplitter that divides light between two detector banks.^[2][4]

The division also produces Hyperspectral Filter Arrays (HFAs): monolithic pixel-level filter mosaics deposited directly on sensor wafers or glass substrates, covering 300 nm to 5 um in 16 to 300 discrete channels. This architecture is directly applicable to spaceborne focal-plane spectral sensing but has not been cited in a publicly disclosed Earth-observation flight mission as of May 2026.^[5]

Viavi OSP functions as a precision optical component supplier, relevant wherever a sensor or instrument entry cites thin-film filter, LVF, or beamsplitter components. OSP pricing and minimum-order scale are calibrated to NASA cost-plus and defence-prime programmes; commercial constellation customers are served by lower-cost alternatives at smaller volumes.

In fiscal year 2025 (ended June 28, 2025), the OSP segment reported revenue of USD 307.7 million with an operating margin of 36.5%, against total company revenue of USD 1.084 billion.^[6] The company employed approximately 3,600 people as of 2024.