Viasat has launched its latest product – ViaSat-3 F1 (VS3 F1) for commercial service and will be available over North America including routes servicing Hawaii following a period of testing and live trials in the first half of 2024.
The ViaSat-3 F1 (VS3 F1) will significantly enhance the passenger experience available over North America, including streaming content and staying in touch with the world when flying claims Jimmy Dodd, president, of the aviation segment, Viasat.
“Today’s announcement is also a significant technical achievement for Viasat and signals the start of revenue-generating services from the first of our three ground-breaking ViaSat-3 satellites,” adds Craig Miller, president, of global space networks, Viasat. “A further two ViaSat-3 satellites are currently in the late stages of production and testing, including the successful completion of thermal vacuum testing on ViaSat-3 F3 recently and the successful completion of mechanical environmental testing on ViaSat-3 F2.”
ViaSat-3 F1 experienced an antenna deployment anomaly following its launch in April 2023. However, extensive in-orbit testing demonstrated that all other systems on the satellite were operating at or beyond expectations. While the antenna deployment anomaly resulted in a significant reduction in overall capacity, the resiliency and high-performance specifications of the ViaSat-3 satellite system still allow the satellite to support high-speed broadband services for aviation customers all over North America, where the satellite is deployed.
