Carlsbad’s ViaSat reported the successful launch Wednesday of its latest communications satellite on one the largest boosters flown by SpaceX.
The ViaSat-3 Flight 3 will be positioned over the Asia-Pacific region and provide 1 terabit-per-second internet access for commercial mobility, fixed broadband and defense customers.
The satellite was launched at 7:13 a.m. Pacific time aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Just under five hours later, the satellite separated from the rocket’s upper stage. Initial signals were acquired minutes later, “confirming the satellite is healthy in orbit and ready for the next phase of operations,” according to ViaSat.
The successful launch completes a constellation of three satellites in geostationary orbits covering the entire Earth. It is expected to be operational by the summer.
“ViaSat-3 F3 will provide greater resilience for government and commercial mobility users, leveraging powerful beamforming capabilities to quickly deliver bandwidth in and around geopolitical and other hot spots,” said Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO ofViasat.
“As we look forward, our ViaSat-3 satellites will significantly scale our overall network’s performance, strengthening our ability to deliver the capacity for key growth initiatives globally,” he said.
The company’s stock closed up nearly 3% at $60.98 per share following the successful launch.
Viasat and SpaceX compete in the market for satellite internet. Viasat’s system relies on large satellites in geostationary orbits, while Starlink from SpaceX uses thousands of small satellites in lower orbits.
