Live updates before Wednesday liftoff
Florida Today • • general
Key Points:
- SpaceX successfully launched the Falcon Heavy rocket carrying the ViaSat-3F 3 broadband satellite from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 10:13 a.m. on April 29 after a weather delay.
- The mission aims to place the satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit, enhancing internet service capacity in the Asia-Pacific region with over 1Tbps output.
- The Falcon Heavy rocket consists of three Falcon 9 boosters, with the two side boosters scheduled to return to Cape Canaveral Landing Zones 2 and 40, producing twin sonic booms about eight minutes after liftoff.
- This launch marks the first Falcon Heavy flight from Florida since October 2024, when NASA's Europa Clipper mission was launched.
- The ViaSat-3 constellation includes three Ka-band satellites in geostationary Earth orbit, with the first two already operational and providing high-speed internet services globally.
