spacetoday.net: Falcon Heavy launches final ViaSat-3 satellite

Posted: Sat, May 2, 2026, 11:17 AM ET (1517 GMT)
The first Falcon Heavy mission in 18 months successfully launched the third and final ViaSat-3 satellite Wednesday. The Falcon Heavy lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 10:13 am EDT (1413 GMT), deploying the ViaSat-3 F3 spacecraft into a geostationary transfer orbit nearly five hours later. Viasat expects F3 to enter commercial service late this summer over the Asia Pacific, following extensive health checks on the operator's payload and spacecraft bus from Boeing. This satellite uses a different large deployable antenna than the one used on the first two ViaSat-3 spacecraft. The antenna on the first failed to deploy properly, depriving it of more than 90% of its capacity, while the antenna on the second satellite is in the process of deployment. This was the first Falcon Heavy mission since October 2024, when it launched NASA's Europa Clipper mission, although additional Falcon Heavy launches are planned for this year.