The satellite antenna had an anomaly with its antenna deployment that caused the satellite to deliver around 10% of its expected capacity.
Viasat has officially announced that ViaSat-3 F1 (VS3 F1) is now operational and available for aviation customers across North America, including flights to Hawaii. This milestone follows a series of tests and live trials conducted during the first half of 2024.
Commenting on the development, Jimmy Dodd, President of Aviation Segment at Viasat, said: “This is exciting news for our aviation customers and the millions of passengers who use inflight Wi-Fi services powered by the Viasat network. Bringing ViaSat-3 F1 into commercial service for aviation customers will significantly enhance the passenger experience available over North America, including streaming content and staying in touch with the world when flying.”
Craig Miller, President, Global Space Networks, Viasat, added: “Todays 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. 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.”
Despite experiencing an antenna deployment issue after its April 2023 launch, comprehensive in-orbit testing confirmed that the satellite’s other systems were performing at or above expectations. While the anomaly reduced the satellite’s overall capacity, the robust design of the ViaSat-3 system ensures it can still provide high-speed broadband services for aviation customers over North America.
Additional details on ViaSat-3 F1 will be discussed during Viasat’s upcoming financial results call on August 7, 2024.
