Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) has announced that the firm’s ViaSat-3 F1 (VS3 F1) has entered commercial service and is now available for aviation customers operating over North America, including routes servicing Hawaii — this notice follows a period of testing and live trials, which occurred during the first half of the 2024 calendar year.
ViaSat-3 F1 experienced an antenna deployment anomaly following its launch in April of 2023. However, extensive on-orbit testing demonstrated that all other systems on the satellite were operating at or beyond expectations. While the antenna deployment anomaly resulted in a significant reduction in overall capacity, the resiliency and high-performance specifications of the ViaSat-3 satellite system still allows the satellite to support high-speed broadband services for aviation customers over North America, where the satellite is deployed.
“This is exciting news for our aviation customers and the millions of passengers who use inflight Wi-Fi services powered by the Viasat network,” said Jimmy Dodd, President, Aviation segment at Viasat, Inc. “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.“
“This 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,” added Craig Miller, President, Global Space Networks, Viasat, Inc. “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.”
