GO! - SpaceX - Falcon Heavy - ViaSat-3 F3 - LC-39A - Kennedy Space Center - Space Affairs Live

Launch Date: April 27, 2026
Launch Time: 10:21 a.m. EDT, 1421 UTC, 16:21 CEST
Launch Window: Open until 11:46 a.m. EDT
Launch Site: LC-39A - Kennedy Space Center
Targeted Orbit: Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO)
Launch Inclination: East
Launch Status: Scheduled and announced

Mission: ViaSat-3 F3
Launch Provider: SpaceX
Payload manufracturer/Operator: ViaSat

Launcher System: Falcon Heavy
Side Booster 1 (B1075 - Turnaround 187 days)
Flight for the Booster: 22
Previous Flights of the Booster: 21 - SDA-0A, SARah-2, Transporter-11, and 18 Starlink missions
Side Booster 2 (B1072 - Turnaround 671 days)
Flight for the Booster: 2
Privious Flights of the Booster: 1 - GOES-U Mission
Landing of Side Booster 1 & 2: Landing Zone 2 and 40 (LZ-2 and LZ-40), Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
First Stage (Center Booster): Unknown - Expendable
Price: $97million (without payload)
Fairing Diameter: 5,20 m
Fairing Hight: 13 m
Height: 70 meters
Payload to Orbit: LEO: 63,800 kg (if fully expendable) / GTO:26,700 kg (if fully expendable)
Lift-Off Thrust: 22,819 kilonewtons
Fairing: Diameter 5,2 meters / Height 13 meters
Stages: 2

SpaceX is targeting Monday, April 27 for a Falcon Heavy launch of the ViaSat-3 F3 mission to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The 85-minute launch window opens at 10:21 a.m. EDT. If needed, a backup opportunity is available Tuesday, April 28 during an 85-minute window that opens at 10:17 a.m. EDT.

VS-3 F3 is designed to provide more than 1Tbps of broadband capacity over the Asia-Pacific region and marks a significant milestone in ViaSat's satellite roadmap the VS-3 constellation is completed.
The VS-3 constellation is comprised of three Ka-band satellites, each designed to be capable of rapidly shifting capacity throughout its coverage area to deliver bandwidth where and when it’s needed most.

This is important to meet the increasing demand of commercial mobility and defense customers, where the location of high-demand hotspots can change over the course of the day. The VS-3s are geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, located about 22,236 miles above the equator.

You will find more information about the trajectory and data on the day of the launch here: https://flightclub.io/live

Countdown
Hr/Min/Sec Event
- 00:53:00 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for propellant load
- 00:50:00 1st stage RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
- 00:45:00 1st stage LOX (liquid oxygen) loading begins
- 00:35:00 2nd stage RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) loading begins
- 00:18:30 2nd stage LOX loading begins
- 00:07:00 Falcon Heavy begins engine chill
- 00:00:59 Flight computer commanded to begin final pre-launch checks
- 00:00:45 SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch
- 00:00:20 Propellant tanks pressurize for flight
- 00:00:06 Engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start
- 00:00:00 Falcon Heavy liftoff

Launch, Landing, and Deployment
All Times Approximate
Hr/Min/Sec Event
00:01:09 Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)
00:02:21 Side booster engine cutoff (BECO)
00:02:25 Side boosters separate
00:02:30 Side boosters flip
00:02:41 Side boosters boostback burn begins
00:03:47 Side boosters boostback burn ends
00:03:50 1st stage main engine cutoff (MECO)
00:03:54 1st and 2nd stages separate
00:04:01 2nd stage engine starts (SES-1)
00:04:17 Fairing separation
00:06:28 Side boosters entry burn begins
00:06:44 Side boosters entry burn ends
00:07:41 Side boosters landing burns start
00:07:58 Side boosters landing
00:08:13 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-1)
00:26:05 2nd stage engine starts (SES-2)
00:27:33 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-2)
04:47:47 2nd stage engine starts (SES-3)
04:48:30 2nd stage engine cutoff (SECO-3)
04:57:31 ViaSat-3 F3 deploys

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