ViaSat-3 Flight 3 arrives in Florida ahead of launch

The final countdown has begun with the delivery of Viasat’s ultra-high-capacity ViaSat-3 Flight 3 (VS-3 F3) satellite to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This comes ahead of the anticipated launch with SpaceX from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket.

The VS-3 F3 satellite was transported from Boeing’s El Segundo, CA, facility by truck – setting off on March 30 travelling cross-country to the launch site on Florida’s Space Coast.

Throughout the journey, the satellite was stowed in a specialized container that carefully controls environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and air cleanliness to protect its highly complex technology. 

“This launch marks a pivotal moment in our journey to bring fast, secure and reliable high capacity, highly flexible broadband to our commercial, defense and consumer customers. As the final addition to our ViaSat-3 constellation, Flight 3 marks a significant milestone for our global satellite network with a tremendous amount of capacity anticipated to support customers across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Dave Abrahamian, Vice President of Space Systems, Viasat.

Final checks underway

“This launch marks a pivotal moment in our journey to bring fast, secure and reliable high capacity, highly flexible broadband to our commercial, defense and consumer customers,” said Dave Abrahamian, Viasat’s Vice President of Space Systems.

VS-3 F3 will now undergo final testing and processing.

Once complete, the satellite will be mated to the payload adapter before being encapsulated into the payload fairing and integrated into the launch vehicle.

Expanding Asia-Pacific capacity

“As the final addition to our ViaSat-3 constellation, Flight 3 marks a significant milestone for our global satellite network with a tremendous amount of capacity anticipated to support customers across the Asia-Pacific region,” continues Abrahamian.

“Like its predecessors, VS-3 F3 is designed to add more than 1Tbps of throughput to our network, with dynamic beam-forming capabilities capable of rapidly shifting capacity throughout its coverage area to deliver bandwidth where and when it’s needed most – from busy flight paths and congested maritime routes to military operations across domains.”

The launch of VS-3 F3 is planned for no earlier than late April 2026, with service entry expected later this year.

Learn more about ViaSat-3 and watch out for future VS-3 F3 mission updates.

Forward-Looking Statements

Please see this link for more information about the forward-looking statements regarding ViaSat-3 capacity, coverage and timing contained in this article.