Following a break of 18 months, the Falcon Heavy, which is one of the strongest rockets available, resumed operations on April 27, 2026, when it launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The satellite aboard was the ViaSat-3 F3, a communications satellite that was lifted from the launch complex at 39A at 10:13 a.m. The launch is also the culmination of years of effort to build a global broadband system, which will shortly provide Internet access to millions of users in the Asia-Pacific region.
A Rocket Built for Heavy Lifting
According to Space.com, the Falcon Heavy rocket is powered by three booster cores derived from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, capable of delivering approximately five million pounds of thrust during launch, and second only to the Saturn V rocket in terms of launch power. The most recent mission of the Falcon Heavy took place in October 2024, when it was tasked with delivering NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft into the vicinity of Jupiter. In keeping with the Falcon rockets’ traditions, the side boosters landed simultaneously back on Earth, whereas the third-stage booster delivered its payload to a 22,000-mile-high orbit.
Completing a Global Broadband Constellation
ViaSat-3 F3 is the third and last spacecraft from the new generation of ViaSat satellites. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art system for directing beams where they are needed most, enabling an amazing throughput capacity of more than 1 Tb/s. This powerful spacecraft was built based on Boeing’s 702MP+ satellite platform and will provide services to the commercial aviation sector, maritime industry, defense sector, and enterprises operating in the Asia-Pacific region. It is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of summer 2026
