On April 29, 2025, at 10:13 a.m. EDT (1413 UTC), a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite. The launch was the 12th flight for the Falcon Heavy rocket and its first mission since October 2024.
Launch Event
The launch window opened at 10:13 a.m. EDT and lasted 85 minutes. This launch was rescheduled from a previous attempt on April 27, 2025, which was scrubbed due to poor weather. The 45th Weather Squadron forecast a 90% probability of favorable weather conditions for the April 29 attempt, up from a 55% probability on April 27.
Rocket Configuration
The Falcon Heavy rocket is composed of three modified Falcon 9 first stages strapped together, generating approximately 5.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. It is the second most powerful operational rocket, after NASA's Space Launch System (8.8 million pounds of thrust).
- Two side boosters (tail numbers 1072 and 1075) separated approximately 2.5 minutes after liftoff, performed a boost-back burn, and landed at Landing Zone 2 and Landing Zone 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station about eight minutes after launch.
- The center core (tail number B1098), a new booster, was not recovered and was expended in the Atlantic Ocean.
- The second stage conducted three burns over approximately five hours to deploy the satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The upper stage was equipped with extra thermal protection to prevent fuel freezing during the coast phase.
"The Falcon Heavy is the second most powerful operational rocket in the world, generating approximately 5.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff."
Payload: ViaSat-3 F3
The payload is the ViaSat-3 F3 satellite, weighing approximately 6.6 metric tons (6.5 to 6.6 tonnes, depending on the source). It is destined for geostationary orbit at an altitude of 22,236 miles (35,786 km) above Earth, with an operating position reported as either 158.55 degrees East or 155.58 degrees East.
The satellite is the third and final in the ViaSat-3 constellation. It is designed to provide high-throughput broadband service to the Asia-Pacific region, adding over one terabit per second of capacity to the Viasat network. The satellite serves commercial, aviation, maritime, enterprise, fixed broadband, defense, and government users.
Mission Profile
The satellite separated from the rocket's upper stage nearly five hours after liftoff. Initial signal acquisition was achieved, indicating successful orbit insertion.
Post-launch steps include:
- Solar array deployment
- Movement to geostationary orbital position using electric propulsion
- Further deployments and in-orbit testing
- Network integration
Dave Abrahamian, Viasat's vice president of Satellite Systems, stated that orbit raising to the operating position will take approximately two months, facilitated by the Falcon Heavy's more favorable transfer orbit for electric propulsion compared to the Atlas V. On-orbit checkout and handover from Boeing to Viasat is expected to take at least two months after launch. Viasat expects the satellite to enter service later in 2025.
ViaSat-3 Constellation
- ViaSat-3 F1: Launched in April 2023 on a Falcon Heavy. Currently serves airline customers.
- ViaSat-3 F2: Launched in November 2025 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V. Will serve the Americas; was still completing on-orbit checkout as of the launch date.
- ViaSat-3 F3: Completes the three-satellite constellation, targeting coverage over the Asia-Pacific region.
"Viasat expects the satellite to enter service later in 2025, completing the three-satellite constellation."
Observations
BlackSky's Gen-3 Earth-observing satellite captured two images of the launch: one at 07:29 local time showing the rocket on the pad, and another at 10:13 local time, 38 seconds after liftoff, when the rocket was traveling over 400 miles per hour.
Background
The Falcon Heavy first launched in February 2018. Its previous launch was in October 2024, when it sent NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter. The rocket has now completed 12 successful flights. All previous missions were successful.
The satellite communications market in Asia-Pacific includes competition among operators for airline, maritime, defense, and rural broadband contracts. Viasat expanded its scale through the acquisition of Inmarsat. The company has a 16.5-year agreement signed in 2022 with Telstra.