US EditionAtlas 5 Rocket Launches U.S. Communications Satellite
The launch followed replacement of a faulty liquid oxygen tank vent valve after two scrubs, enabling deployment of ViaSat-3 F2 to expand broadband capacity by over 1 Tbps.
- On Nov. 13, United Launch Alliance launched an Atlas V 551 carrying ViaSat-3 F2 from Space Launch Complex-41, releasing it into an elliptical geosynchronous transfer orbit about three and a half hours later.
- Following a faulty booster valve issue, teams scrubbed two launch attempts last week, rolled the rocket back to the Vertical Integration Facility, replaced the Atlas V booster liquid oxygen tank vent valve and returned it on Nov. 12.
- The Atlas V 551 flew in a 551 configuration, using five solid rocket boosters jettisoned under two minutes and deploying fairings about 90 seconds later, with three RL10 Centaur upper stage firings to place the 6-metric-ton satellite.
- Viasat announced initial signal acquisition shortly after launch and said ViaSat-3 F2 will add more than 1 Tbps of capacity, offering download speeds over 100+ Mbps across the Americas and entering service early next year.
- Facing competition and subscriber losses, Viasat aims to restore capacity lost after ViaSat-3 F1's antenna failure as its U.S. base drops to 157,000 while SpaceX's Starlink grows to over 2 million active users.
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ULA launches Viasat’s second shot at a terabit-class broadband satellite
An Atlas 5 rocket sent Viasat’s second ViaSat-3 satellite toward geostationary orbit Nov. 13, bringing the U.S. broadband provider closer to operating a terabit-per-second giant it had hoped to debut six years ago. The post ULA launches Viasat’s second shot at a terabit-class broadband satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.
Live coverage: ULA to launch ViaSat-3 following valve replacement on Atlas 5 rocket
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 551 rocket stands at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of launching Viasat’s ViaSat-3 Flight 2 satellite to a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Image: Adam Bernstein / Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance is preparing to launch an Atlas 5 rocket Thursday night, which will carry a communications satellite for California-based communications company, Viasat. The launch comes a week after the mission was scrubbed due to …
Spectrum News 13
Spectrum NewsULA launches ViaSat-3 mission after valve issue
The ViaSat-3 Flight 2 mission took off from the Atlas V 551 rocket from Space Launch Complex-41.
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