ViaSat-3 F3: SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launches Huge Communication Satellite In 12th Mission

SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket at 1413 UTC on Wednesday (April 29) from Launch Complex 39A(LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, carrying the huge ViaSat-3 F3 satellite into orbit. This mission marked the 12th flight for the Falcon Heavy and its first launch in 18 months, following the October 2024 Europa Clipper mission.

The Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters, B1072 and B1075, returned to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station about eight minutes after launch, with B1072 landing at Landing Zone 2 and B1075 touching down at the newer Landing Zone 40 at Space Launch Complex 40. As is standard for Falcon Heavy missions, the central core booster (B1098) was not recovered and was jettisoned into the Atlantic Ocean.

B1075 previously supported 21 missions: SDA Tranche 0 (SDA-0A), SARah-2/3, Transporter-11 and 18 Starlink missions. The second side booster (B1072) previously supported the launch of the GOES-U mission.

Falcon Heavy employs three modified, strapped-together first stages of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. The central booster hosts an upper stage, which is integrated with the payload.

Together, these three boosters generate about 5.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, making Falcon Heavy the second-most-powerful launcher in operation today. The leader is NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket, which generates 8.8 million pounds. (SpaceX's Starship creates a whopping 16.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, but it's currently in flight testing phase).

About 4 hours 57 minutes after liftoff Wednesday, the second stage deployed the 6.6-ton (6 metric tons) ViaSat-3 F3 satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. It will use onboard propulsion to reach its final operational position at 155.58 degrees East along the equator.

"Signal acquired," Boeing Space wrote on X. "ViaSat-3 F3 successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Built on our high‑power 702MP+ platform, the satellite will provide connectivity to @Viasat customers in the Asia-Pacific region."

As its name suggests, ViaSat-3 F3 is the third ViaSat-3 satellite to reach space. ViaSat-3 F1 did so atop a Falcon Heavy in April 2023, and ViaSat-3 F2 followed suit in November 2025 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V.

The 6.6-ton satellite is the third and final component of Viasat’s high-throughput broadband constellation, adding over 1 terabit per second of capacity to the network. It's designed to provide internet services to the Asia-Pacific region.

The satellites operate in geostationary orbit which lies 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth. At that altitude, orbital velocity matches our planet's rotational speed, allowing spacecraft to "hover" over the same patch of real estate continuously.

ViaSat-3 F1 currently provides service to customers aboard airliners, and ViaSat-3 F2 will serve people in the Americas when it comes online next month. ViaSat-3 F3 rounds out the ViaSat-3 mini-constellation.

"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," Dave Abrahamian, ViaSat's vice president of space systems, said in a company statement earlier this month.

Falcon Heavy debuted in February 2018 with a test flight that launched SpaceX founder Elon Musk's cherry-red Tesla Roadster into orbit around the sun. The rocket has since flown 10 more successful missions.