Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a leading global provider of satellite communications, has announced that its ViaSat-3 F1 (VS3 F1) satellite is now officially in commercial service. The satellite is available to aviation customers operating over North America, including routes to Hawaii, following a successful period of testing and live trials in the first half of 2024.
Jimmy Dodd, President of the Aviation segment at Viasat, expressed enthusiasm about the development: “This marks an exciting milestone for our aviation customers and the millions of passengers relying on inflight Wi-Fi powered by the Viasat network. The entry of ViaSat-3 F1 into commercial service will greatly enhance the passenger experience over North America, providing improved streaming content and connectivity.”
Craig Miller, President of Global Space Networks at Viasat, highlighted the significance of the launch: “Today’s announcement represents a major technical achievement for Viasat and the beginning of revenue-generating services from our first ViaSat-3 satellite. We are also advancing towards the completion of the remaining two ViaSat-3 satellites, with ViaSat-3 F3 recently completing thermal vacuum testing and ViaSat-3 F2 successfully finishing mechanical environmental testing.”
Despite an antenna deployment anomaly following its launch in April 2023, extensive in-orbit testing has confirmed that the satellite’s other systems are performing at or above expectations. Although this anomaly led to a reduction in overall capacity, the ViaSat-3 system’s resilience and high-performance capabilities still enable it to deliver high-speed broadband services to aviation customers across North America.
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. With offices in 24 countries around the world, our mission shapes how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate and connect. Viasat is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, reliable, secure, affordable, fast connections to positively impact people’s lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea, while building a sustainable future in space. In May 2023, Viasat completed its acquisition of Inmarsat, combining the teams, technologies and resources of the two companies to create a new global communications partner.
