A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center at 10:13 a.m. on 29 April 2026. Following stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters landed on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 2 and 40 (LZ-2 and LZ-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

After being delivered to a geosynchronous transfer orbit the satellite’s electric propulsion will take over to place ViaSat-3 F3 in geostationary orbit. The ViaSat-3 F3 satellite will spend several months traveling to geostationary orbit before arriving at its reserved orbital slot. It will go through rigorous in-orbit testing of both the bus and payload before entering service, expected to occur by late summer 2026. The ViaSat-3 satellites are each designed to provide regional coverage, with ViaSat-3 F3 expected to cover the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region providing maximize efficient, flexible bandwidth deployment and enhanced performance for commercial mobility, fixed services, and defense customers.

One of the side boosters on this mission previously supported SDA-0A, SARah-2, Transporter-11, and 18 Starlink missions, and the second previously supported launch of the GOES-U mission.