SpaceX to Launch Bus-Sized Communications Satellite into Orbit

On April 27, the Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the ViaSat-3 Americas satellite into geostationary orbit, aiming to provide high-speed internet across the North American continent, SpaceX announced on Wednesday.

The launch of the 6.7-ton, bus-sized ViaSat-3 Americas satellite is scheduled to take place from the Kennedy Space Center launch complex in Florida. The rocket's launch will commence at 02:29 Yerevan time on April 27.

This satellite is the first of three next-generation devices in ViaSat Inc.'s Ka-band global coverage system based in California, which collectively offer twice the total throughput of all commercial internet satellites currently in orbit. Each satellite will provide over one terabit of network capacity per second. The operational lifespan of the device is set for 15 years.

The second ViaSat-3 satellite, which the company plans to launch later, will cover Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, while the third satellite will focus on the Asia-Pacific region. These satellites are designed to provide high-speed broadband communications for private users, commercial companies, and governmental and defense entities.

As a secondary payload, the rocket will also deploy Astranis's MicroGEO mini-communications satellite and Gravity Space's GS-1 Earth remote sensing satellite into orbit.