The ViaSat-3 constellation. Photo: Viasat

Viasat is finally set to have access to the full capacity of a ViaSat-3 satellite, announcing Thursday that the second satellite in the trio is scheduled for launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket in the second half of October. 

ViaSat-3 F2 will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The exact target launch date will be provided closer to the launch, with anticipated entry into service in early 2026. It will launch on an Atlas V 551 configuration. 

The additional capacity will be critical for the operator after the first ViaSat-3 satellite suffered an anomaly with its antenna deployment after it launched in 2023. While the satellite is currently in service focused on aviation and government customers, it is only delivering a fraction of the capacity that was expected. 

Now, ViaSat-3 F2 is expected to give the operator more bandwidth capacity than its entire existing fleet. The operator noted this capacity comes as satcom demand is increasing from commercial mobility and defense customers. 

CEO Mark Dankberg said the additional capacity on the network will bring greater network efficiency, performance, user experience, coverage, capacity, flexibility and cost. 

“Our customers are excited about the addition of ViaSat-3 F2 to our global network, which we expect will significantly scale performance and number and density of users, and enable exciting new connectivity services alongside our in-flight entertainment and monetization business models,” Dankberg said. 

The ViaSat-3 trio of ultra high capacity satellites has been in the works since 2015 and the first satellite was originally planned for launch in 2020 but encountered numerous delays. 

The operator recently shifted the window for the third satellite, ViaSat-3 F3, now targeted to enter into service in early to mid-2026, with Viasat acknowledging “potential schedule uncertainties” after it ships.