SpaceX targets ViaSat‑3 F3 launch Apr 29
- SpaceX set a new April 29 launch attempt for ViaSat‑3 F3, sending Viasat’s third ViaSat‑3 broadband satellite toward geosynchronous transfer orbit from Florida. - The 85-minute window opens at 10:13 a.m. Eastern on Falcon Heavy after weather scrubbed the first April 27 attempt in the final minute. - ViaSat‑3 F3 is built to add Asia-Pacific capacity after earlier ViaSat‑3 setbacks and delays. (viasat.com)
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, April 29, for a Falcon Heavy launch carrying ViaSat‑3 F3 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (spacex.com) The 85-minute launch window opens at 10:13 a.m. Eastern, and SpaceX listed a backup opportunity for Thursday, April 30, opening at 10:09 a.m. Eastern. (spacex.com) This is a reflight after SpaceX scrubbed the first attempt on Monday, April 27, in the final minute because of poor weather near the pad. (spaceflightnow.com) ViaSat‑3 F3 is the third satellite in Viasat’s ViaSat‑3 series, and the company says it is designed to add capacity over the Asia-Pacific region. (viasat.com 1) (viasat.com 2) The mission uses Falcon Heavy, SpaceX’s three-core rocket for heavier payloads, to send the satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit, the elongated path commonly used before a spacecraft raises itself into its final geostationary slot. (spacex.com) (nextspaceflight.com) Viasat said the spacecraft was built by Boeing and arrived in Florida on April 7 ahead of launch processing at Cape Canaveral. (viasat.com) (floridatoday.com) The launch comes after problems elsewhere in the ViaSat‑3 program. One earlier satellite suffered antenna issues after launch, and Viasat said this month that ViaSat‑3 F2 is advancing through in-orbit testing. (investors.viasat.com) (viasat.com) If weather cooperates, the next visible change is simple: Falcon Heavy lifts off, and Viasat gets the final spacecraft in its three-satellite ViaSat‑3 build on its way. (spacex.com) (viasat.com)
