ViaSat-3 Americas

2023: Satellite Launch

On May 1, 2023, Viasat announced the successful launch into orbit of the ViaSat-3 Americas spacecraft, the world's first telecommunications satellite to form communication channels with terabit bandwidth.

The launch was carried out using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the LC-39A site, which is located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. About 4 hours and 32 minutes after launch, the satellite separated from the carrier, after which the first signals were received from its side through a ground station in South Korea. After the deployment of solar panels, the device will move to its final orbital location. The total cost of the mission, including launch, insurance, ground equipment and the spacecraft itself, is about $700 million.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch from ViaSat-3 Americas satellites

The ViaSat-3 Americas satellite is the first of three new generation ViaSat devices designed to form a global data transmission system in the Ka-band. Each of the satellites is capable of providing speed more than 1 Tbit/s. Moreover, special means allow you to focus throughput on the most loaded zones - be it on land, in the ocean or in the air.

The ViaSat-3 Americas is aimed at North and South America. In the future, it is planned to launch the EMEA ViaSat-3 satellite, which will provide coverage for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This device is undergoing environmental tests at the Boeing plant in El Segundo (California). The third satellite of the family will be responsible for user service in the Asia-Pacific region. The devices are designed to provide high-speed broadband communication to private customers, commercial structures, as well as government and defense organizations. The estimated active life is 15 years.^[1]

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