United Launch Alliance (ULA) has successfully launched Viasat’s latest effort to expand global high-speed internet capabilities—a terabit-class broadband satellite designed to dramatically increase throughput and service coverage. This mission marks a pivotal moment for Viasat, following the prior complications faced during the Viasat-3 Americas launch in 2023, which left the satellite unable to reach its full operational potential. By pushing forward with this second launch, Viasat reaffirms its commitment to delivering multi-terabit per second performance to support bandwidth-intensive applications worldwide.

Terabit-class satellite technology plays a central role in narrowing the digital divide. With the ability to deliver fiber-equivalent speeds from geostationary orbit, these satellites can unlock access across underserved and remote regions where terrestrial infrastructure falls short. ULA’s precision in launch execution combined with Viasat’s ground infrastructure investment positions this satellite to significantly enhance global broadband networks.

ULA and the Atlas V: Proven Hardware for High-Stakes Payloads

United Launch Alliance: A Legacy of Precision and Performance

Formed in 2006 as a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance (ULA) has delivered over 155 successful missions. Its track record—spanning Earth observation, planetary science, defense payloads, and commercial satellites—marks it as one of the most reliable space launch providers operating today. ULA’s deep-rooted experience in aerospace engineering has made it a cornerstone of the U.S. space economy, serving government clients like NASA and the Department of Defense, alongside commercial partners seeking dependable launch services.

ULA’s launch success rate exceeds 98%. This reliability is the result of meticulous mission planning, robust rocket architecture, and an operational culture that prioritizes precision. Each launch builds on a foundation of disciplined engineering and extensive pre-launch testing, ensuring high-value satellites reach their destinations safely.

Atlas V: Engineering Strength for Heavy-Lift Satellite Missions

Originally developed by Lockheed Martin and now an operational mainstay for ULA, the Atlas V rocket offers a modular design tailored to accommodate a wide range of payloads. With configurations ranging from light to heavy-lift, the rocket can deliver up to 18,850 pounds (8,560 kg) to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Its adaptability enables it to support diverse missions, from interplanetary probes to massive broadband satellites like Viasat-3 Americas.

The version tapped for Viasat’s second attempt includes a 5.4-meter payload fairing and multiple solid rocket boosters to optimize ascent performance. A dual-engine Centaur upper stage finalizes orbital insertions with high accuracy. This combination of thrust and finesse makes Atlas V a preferred vehicle for terabit-class communications satellites, which demand not just capacity, but pinpoint trajectory alignment.

Strategic Relevance in an Evolving Launch Market

ULA holds unique value in national security and commercial sectors alike. For defense and intelligence missions, its unbroken record of mission success and commitment to mission assurance has established trust across agencies. For commercial satellite operators, ULA offers an alternative to rideshare-dominant new entrants, focusing instead on single-payload performance and mission-specific customization.

Even as newer launch providers expand market share, ULA remains integral to the U.S. launch ecosystem. Government clients continue to prioritize the company’s technically vetted hardware and operational predictability. Commercial partners like Viasat choose ULA for high-investment payloads where failure is not an option.

Precision Launch from Space Launch Complex 41

Strategic Base: Location and Legacy

Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) lies on the eastern edge of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Perched above the Atlantic, this coastal site has hosted decades of pivotal missions—from Titan III rockets of the Cold War era to today’s heavy-lift Atlas V vehicles. Operated by United Launch Alliance, SLC-41 functions as a launchpad with advanced vertical integration capabilities, a mobile service tower, and embedded infrastructure for high-throughput data and telemetry support.

Its engineering backbone includes a Vertical Integration Facility (VIF) that allows for complete vehicle stacking and payload encapsulation in a controlled environment. A sophisticated water deluge system paired with flame trench architecture diffuses acoustic and thermal energy, enabling safe liftoff of high-energy rockets.

Launch Details: Timeline, Architecture, and Objectives

On April 30, 2023, at precisely 8:26 p.m. EDT, an Atlas V 551 rocket roared into the night sky from SLC-41, carrying Viasat-3 Americas into geostationary transfer orbit. This mission marked the debut of Viasat’s second attempt at deploying a terabit-class broadband satellite, emphasizing resilience and renewed ambition in commercial space communications.

The 551 configuration used for this launch featured five strap-on solid rocket boosters, a 5-meter payload fairing, and a single-engine Centaur upper stage—delivering one of the most powerful variants of the Atlas V family. This setup provided the thrust and payload capacity necessary to deliver the nearly 6.4 metric ton satellite into its target orbit.

Primary mission objectives encompassed deploying the satellite with maximum orbital precision, ensuring subsystem integrity during ascent, and validating real-time telemetry throughout the vehicle's trajectory. The launch also verified the performance of the Centaur stage in extended coast and burn sequences typical for high-energy geostationary missions.

At mission culmination, ULA’s Atlas V had completed its 100th successful launch, reinforcing both rocket and pad as reliable pillars within the commercial launch sector. The atmosphere at SLC-41 combined operational routine with unmistakable historical gravity, bearing witness to yet another leap in global connectivity architecture.

The Viasat Mission: A Second Shot at Space-Based Connectivity

Setbacks in Orbit: What Happened with Viasat-3

The original Viasat-3 mission faced critical hardware failure shortly after launch. In April 2023, the first satellite in the Viasat-3 constellation—designed to deliver near-global broadband—suffered damage to its reflector deployment mechanism. This issue rendered the satellite incapable of operating at its intended performance levels. The failure stemmed from complications during the unfolding of the antenna reflector, a key structure responsible for focusing and transmitting high-capacity signals.

Viasat, aiming to provide global, high-speed connectivity across land, sea, and air, had to reassess its deployment strategy after this incident. Months of diagnostics and review followed, involving collaboration between Viasat, Boeing (the satellite manufacturer), and suppliers of the reflector hardware.

A Legacy of Constellations and the Drive to Try Again

Before the Viasat-3 series, the company operated the Viasat-1 and Viasat-2 satellites. These earlier satellites already demonstrated the feasibility of high-throughput capabilities in geostationary orbit. Viasat-1 launched in 2011 and was the first Ka-band satellite to break the 100 Gbps throughput barrier. Its successor, Viasat-2, expanded coverage and delivered even greater capacity.

The Viasat-3 project, organized as a three-satellite global constellation, represents a leap in ambition. With three geostationary satellites aimed at covering the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and the Asia-Pacific region, the system is built to support terabit-class total capacity. The failure of the first satellite made the success of the second launch non-negotiable. Operational continuity, market confidence, and strategic expansion all hinged on a successful second attempt.

The New Contender: Viasat-3 F2

For this second launch, United Launch Alliance delivered the Viasat-3 F2 satellite into orbit. This satellite, identical in architecture to its predecessor, weighs approximately 6,400 kg at launch. Built by Boeing, the satellite is based on the 702MP+ platform, a modular bus well-suited for high-power applications. The reflectors, designed to span up to 8 meters when deployed, are once again key components—but manufactured and deployed now under a new and scrutinized testing protocol.

Once in orbit and fully functional, Viasat-3 F2 will deliver data throughput exceeding 1 terabit per second (Tbps), using dynamic beam-forming and flexible resource allocation. That capacity supports streaming, enterprise networks, and in-flight connectivity across enormous geographic areas.

This launch doesn’t just restore momentum to Viasat’s global broadband project—it recalibrates the company's credibility in a competitive and technically unforgiving sector. The network’s backbone depends on this link clicking into place. Will it hold up under pressure? The coming months in orbit will provide the answer.

Inside Terabit-Class Broadband: The Technology Behind the Bandwidth Boom

Redefining Satellite Internet: What Terabit-Class Actually Means

Terabit-class broadband satellites are engineered to deliver total data throughput exceeding one terabit per second (Tbps). Unlike older geostationary satellites capped in the low gigabit range, these next-generation systems achieve massive capacity through spot beam architecture, high-frequency Ka-band spectrum use, and dynamic ground segment optimization. Satellite operators like Viasat leverage this architecture to perform seamless data hand-off between thousands of targeted coverage areas, maximizing both coverage and bandwidth efficiency.

For perspective: 1 Tbps is equivalent to 1,000,000 Mbps. That’s enough to simultaneously support over 330,000 high-definition video streams at 3 Mbps each—without buffering.

Bandwidth, Latency, and Onboard Power: A Technical Breakdown

• Throughput & Bandwidth: Viasat-3 class satellites can handle over 1 Tbps of data by utilizing hundreds of narrow spot beams, each individually steerable and dynamically allocated based on demand. This architecture breaks from traditional broad-beam models, offering far greater spectral efficiency.
• Latency: While still higher than low Earth orbit (LEO) systems due to geostationary positioning (~35,786 km altitude), latency stays within workable bounds for most applications. Expect round-trip latency between 600 to 700 milliseconds. Adaptive protocols and proxy caching further minimize perceived delays for end users.
• Power & Payload: These spacecraft require kilowatts of sustained onboard power to maintain transmission strength across numerous beams and perform complex dynamic routing. Viasat’s tri-band payload design allows coverage customization using Ka, S, and L bands depending on region and regulatory environments.

Enabling Modern Connectivity Across Industries

Terabit-class infrastructure transforms expectations for space-based communication. Here's where that kind of capacity begins to matter:

• Streaming & Consumer Media: In regions without fiber backbones, these satellites can deliver 4K and even 8K video streaming to rural homes, remote outposts, or ships in mid-ocean—on demand and without degradation.
• Business & Enterprise Networks: Retail chains, oil platforms, and airline fleets use this bandwidth for VoIP, point-of-sale systems, real-time cloud syncs, and operational telemetry. With SD-WAN integration, enterprises run resilient multi-continent networks through one orbital link.
• Emergency & Reconnaissance Communications: High-throughput systems serve as backbone links during disaster recovery, where terrestrial lines are down or unavailable. They enable mobile command centers, first responders, and humanitarian NGOs to set up high-speed networks hours after a satellite is launched—or minutes after systems are activated.

The shift to terabit-class satellites isn't just a leap in speed; it reshapes where and how the world communicates when fiber can’t reach.

Satellite Internet Services: The Quest for Global Connectivity

Geostationary satellites, positioned over 35,786 kilometers above Earth’s equator, sit in a fixed location relative to the planet’s surface. This unique orbital slot enables continuous coverage of vast geographical areas—an essential trait for delivering consistent broadband service over entire continents. Viasat-3, designed for geostationary orbit (GEO), capitalizes on this capability to provide terabit-class connectivity across entire hemispheres.

By situating a satellite in GEO, Viasat achieves high throughput over long durations, minimizing the need for a dense network of ground stations. One GEO satellite, like Viasat-3, can cover millions of square kilometers, enabling coverage across developed urban zones and remote rural regions alike. Highly advantageous for developing infrastructure-light regions, this model supports broadband where laying fiber-optic cables is cost-prohibitive or geographically impossible.

Rural Alaska, remote parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, isolated island nations across the Pacific—these are the types of locations where GEO broadband makes a transformative impact. With a footprint stretching across continents, a single orbiting asset can close the digital divide in places previously sidelined by terrestrial providers.

How Viasat's Satellite Network Reaches the Underserved

Viasat targets rural and underserved populations by designing satellites with region-specific beams. Through spot beam technology, the system concentrates capacity where demand is highest, independently managing bandwidth to match usage patterns. Unlike traditional wide beam satellites, spot beams allow for frequency reuse, drastically increasing total throughput without interference issues.

Combined with intelligent ground station allocation and advanced bandwidth management algorithms, Viasat-3 can support streaming, video conferencing, telehealth, and online education in communities far from major telecom hubs. It doesn't rely on ground-based infrastructure, making it immune to outages caused by natural disasters or terrestrial system failures.

GEO vs. LEO: A Look at System Design Trade-Offs

Geostationary systems like Viasat-3 contrast sharply with low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink. While LEO satellites orbit at altitudes between 500 and 2,000 kilometers, completing a full Earth circle in about 90 minutes, they require a massive swarm to maintain global coverage. Starlink, for example, intends to operate over 12,000 satellites to ensure persistent service.

• Latency: LEO systems achieve lower latency—approximately 20 to 40 milliseconds—due to their proximity to Earth. GEO systems average around 600 milliseconds, a limitation for some real-time applications.
• Circular Coverage vs. Fixed Beams: LEO satellites offer continual global shifting coverage, while GEO satellites deliver consistent, reliable service to fixed areas.
• Infrastructure Requirements: LEO requires extensive ground tracking stations and user hardware capable of following fast-moving targets. GEO customers use stationary dishes aimed at a fixed point, simplifying installation and maintenance.
• Scalability: Terabit-class GEO satellites achieve high throughput without expanding orbital fleets, whereas LEO constellations must keep adding satellites to meet growing demand.

Each architecture presents a different path to the same goal: universal connectivity. GEO enables wide-area fixed service with high capacity, ideal for regional or hemispheric broadband. LEO emphasizes latency and mobile coverage, supporting applications like gaming, IoT backhaul, and on-the-move connectivity. Together, they define the frontier of space-based internet—in a race not only to connect, but to perform.

Rising Stakes in Orbit: Commercial Space Launch Rivals and Viasat's Strategic Choice

SpaceX vs. ULA: Divergence in Strategy and Technology

Two major forces dominate the U.S. commercial launch arena—United Launch Alliance (ULA) and SpaceX. While both reliably deliver payloads into orbit, their operational approaches and underlying technologies reveal stark contrasts.

SpaceX vertically integrates its operations. It manufactures rockets in-house, controls launch infrastructure, and reuses first-stage boosters. The Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy drastically reduce cost per launch through rapid reusability. A 2023 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report shows SpaceX conducted 74 orbital launches, securing over 60% of all U.S. commercial missions.

ULA, in contrast, focuses on reliability and precise delivery. Its Atlas V, while expendable, boasts a mission success rate of 100% across more than 90 launches as of 2024. The company combines Lockheed Martin’s and Boeing’s aerospace heritage and coordinates heavily with U.S. defense contracts, prioritizing assured access and mission assurance.

Why Viasat Continues to Choose ULA

Despite SpaceX’s growing market share, Viasat’s loyalty to ULA comes down to one word: assurance. For high-value payloads like its ViaSat-3 Americas satellite, failure is not an option. The stakes are measured in billions, not millions. ULA’s tracking record aligns with these stakes. Its Atlas V delivers payloads with high-precision orbital insertion, critical for broadband satellites needing geosynchronous stability.

ULA also offers a strong level of schedule confidence. Whereas reusability can sometimes introduce turnaround unpredictability, ULA’s streamlined, conservative launch cadence allows better timing for high-priority telecommunications missions.

Launch Diversity Fuels the U.S. Commercial Space Race

Diversity among launch providers strengthens resilience in the broader aerospace ecosystem. With SpaceX pushing boundaries on cost and cadence, and ULA offering unmatched precision, the U.S. commercial space market becomes more adaptive and fault-tolerant.

• NASA and the Department of Defense can mitigate risk by spreading payloads across providers.
• Private satellite operators gain bargaining power and scheduling flexibility.
• Emerging companies—like Rocket Lab and Blue Origin—enter a market where baseline expectations for innovation and safety have never been higher.

Viasat’s decision to entrust its second launch attempt to ULA reinforces this layered approach. In doing so, it not only hedges operational risk but also supports a competitive industry that thrives on complementary strengths rather than singular dominance.

Overcoming Setbacks: What Delays in Deployment Taught Viasat

Persistent Issues with the First Viasat-3 Satellite

Launched in April 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy, the first Viasat-3 satellite experienced critical setbacks due to a malfunction in its reflector antenna deployment mechanism. Viasat identified a structural anomaly affecting the performance of the massive reflector, which is pivotal for the satellite’s operation at terabit throughput levels. This fault severely limited the satellite’s ability to deliver the anticipated high-speed broadband capacity, dealing a blow to Viasat's commercial timeline.

Post-launch diagnostics traced the problem to thermal and mechanical stress during orbit-raising and antenna deployment, revealing insufficient resilience in critical structural components. Despite extensive terrestrial testing, the failure underscored the limits of pre-launch simulation in accounting for in-space dynamics.

Redesigned Systems for the Second Attempt

The second Viasat-3 mission reflects an integrated reassessment of both hardware and launch readiness protocols. For this launch, engineers reengineered the reflector deployment system, introducing redundant actuators and enhanced material tolerances to mitigate mechanical risk.

Viasat collaborated directly with Boeing and antenna manufacturer Northrop Grumman to overhaul quality assurance processes, emphasizing in-orbit survivability. The satellite bus also underwent modifications to accommodate real-time sensor telemetry, allowing for quicker anomaly detection during early orbit operations.

Strategically, the decision to shift launch providers — from SpaceX to United Launch Alliance (ULA) — aligns with Viasat's confidence in ULA’s consistent insertion accuracy and mission success rate of 100% for the Atlas V, based on data reported up to 2024. This move reduces variability at a stage where mission assurance is paramount.

Delays Reverberate Through Business Operations

The first satellite's underperformance delayed Viasat’s planned expansion of global broadband services by over a year. This disruption affected not only low-latency internet delivery commitments to airlines and maritime operators but also throughput availability for government and emergency response contracts.

Commercial repercussions followed. Shareholder confidence wavered, and competitor firms like Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper fortified their market positions. Clients accustomed to service-level agreements (SLAs) reacted to the gaps in performance coverage by exploring alternative providers, directly challenging Viasat’s value proposition.

• Revenue projections for FY2024 were revised downward by over $100 million, according to Viasat’s Q4 earnings report.
• Customer churn increased, particularly across aviation clients awaiting global Ku-band coverage extensions.
• Partnership discussions for expansion in the Asia-Pacific corridor were temporarily suspended due to uncertainty in capacity availability.

These delays exposed how integral deployment reliability is to sustaining investor confidence and customer retention in an increasingly competitive satellite broadband sector. It also emphasized the operational interdependence between hardware design, supply chain robustness, and launch strategy.

Reflecting on these events, what changes would have preempted such a setback? How much risk tolerance can a firm allow when deploying assets worth over $600 million each, with lifespans exceeding 15 years? The answers continue to reshape satellite program management across the industry.

The Drive Toward Innovation: U.S. Leadership in Satellite Communications

Strengthening the National Infrastructure for Advanced Connectivity

By launching Viasat-3 Americas aboard the Atlas V rocket, United Launch Alliance contributes directly to strengthening the United States' position in global telecommunications. This mission supports the broader national strategy to expand high-throughput, resilient digital infrastructure capable of meeting soaring bandwidth demands. With the rise of cloud computing, mobility, and connected edge devices, demand for low-latency, high-capacity data solutions has surged. Terabit-class satellites like Viasat-3 are integral in meeting these requirements.

Backed by federal partnerships and policy alignment, this mission aligns with the National Strategy to Secure 5G and initiatives outlined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for expanding broadband access to underserved regions. It doesn’t just deliver capacity—it delivers control, autonomy, and technological sovereignty in space-based communications networks.

The Role of U.S. Aerospace Innovators in Next-Gen Space Communications

American aerospace firms are not just participants—they are setting the pace of innovation. United Launch Alliance, Viasat, SpaceX, and others contribute to a vibrant ecosystem that prioritizes payload advancement, orbital efficiency, and interoperability. Their missions support low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary orbit (GEO) communications capabilities, thereby offering layered redundancy and scale.

• Viasat’s investment in phased-array antenna technology intensifies beam-shaping precision and enhances spectrum reuse, further increasing total system throughput.
• ULA’s mission cadence and launch reliability enable consistent deployment of communication satellites, accelerating service availability and return on investment for new space assets.
• Collaborations with U.S. agencies allow the integration of military-grade standards into commercial telecom platforms, boosting interoperability and security.

This inter-industry integration positions the United States as the global pacesetter in space communications, pushing the envelope of what satellites can achieve.

Scaffolding the Future of Satellite-Based Services

Viasat-3 doesn’t only provide broadband. It lays the groundwork for an array of forthcoming services that will emerge from its unmatched bandwidth capacity. Expect a surge in satellite-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, ultra-high-definition media streaming over satellite, and seamless aviation and maritime connectivity solutions—applications previously constrained by data limitations.

Looking forward, terabit-class satellites will function as central nodes in an increasingly meshed and elastic satellite network, capable of dynamically reallocating resources based on generative AI analytics and multi-orbit orchestration. This evolution won’t be theoretical. It will translate to uninterrupted connections in remote oil fields, real-time telemetry from autonomous vessels, and fully digital classrooms in areas that never had terrestrial infrastructure.

How will your organization tap into this next generation of space-borne potential?

New Boundaries: Terms of Service, Coverage, and Viasat’s Market Disruption

Service Terms: Bandwidth, Pricing Models, and Reach

Viasat’s new satellite—propelled into orbit by ULA's Atlas V—will support the company’s aggressive leap into terabit-class broadband. With an architecture designed for over 1 Tbps of total network capacity, the service package targets high-throughput demands across business and mobility sectors. Preliminary data suggests each beam on the satellite could support speeds exceeding 100 Mbps per user, depending on network load and geographic demand intensity.

Pricing models are not yet disclosed in full, but industry analysts anticipate a tiered structure scaled by bandwidth allocations and usage priority. High-demand customers—such as commercial airlines and maritime fleets—can expect enterprise-level service-level agreements (SLAs) including guaranteed minimum data throughput and latency thresholds optimized for real-time applications. Consumer segments may receive variable-rate plans segmented by regional capacity.

Coverage expands beyond North America. This second Viasat-3 satellite targets the Asia-Pacific region, unlocking internet reach previously constrained by terrestrial infrastructure. When combined with the planned trio of Viasat-3 satellites, the network will span nearly 99% of the globe’s populated areas—enabling consistent connectivity from metro cores to remote islands and flight paths over oceans.

Viasat’s Position in the Global Competitive Theatre

The successful launch squarely positions Viasat against satellite broadband heavyweights such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. Unlike Starlink’s low Earth orbit design that depends on a vast constellation of small satellites, Viasat is doubling down on geostationary orbit (GEO) strategy—emphasizing fewer, more powerful satellites. This approach minimizes ground station complexity while ensuring stability for fixed-location users and high-altitude platforms.

Market observers have pointed to Viasat’s distinct advantage in regulated aviation and maritime markets, where coverage continuity and SLA compliance matter more than millisecond-level latency. Notably, Viasat already operates inflight connectivity on fleets from American Airlines, JetBlue, and Delta Air Lines, offering it leverage to bundle services with the new terabit-class throughput.

Sector-Specific Gains: Aviation, Maritime, and Enterprise Networks

• Aviation: Airlines can deliver gate-to-gate streaming and real-time operations. Viasat’s increased capacity removes historic bandwidth caps, allowing simultaneous connections for all passengers—without degrading quality during peak hours.
• Maritime: Cruise lines and merchant fleets sailing through bandwidth-starved regions such as the South Pacific or Indian Ocean will gain continuous coverage. This enhances safety communications, passenger Wi-Fi, and onboard services.
• Enterprise: Oil rigs, remote construction sites, and globally dispersed research units benefit from reliable broadband where fiber cannot reach. The satellite's beamforming flexibility allows customer-dense areas to receive higher capacity concentration without disrupting adjacent regions.

A broader result emerges: Viasat’s high-capacity network introduces pricing downward pressure in underserved regions. Competitors may be forced to match coverage depth or increase gigabit availability to remain viable. In parallel, legacy telcos and national fiber projects could integrate satellite links as redundancy tools when terrestrial failures disrupt service, especially in disaster zones or politically unstable geographies.

A Successful Launch That Resets the Trajectory of Satellite Broadband

ULA’s delivery of Viasat-3 Americas to orbit accomplishes a multi-layered objective. It marks the flawless execution of a mission intricately tied to the evolution of geostationary broadband capabilities. With this launch, United Launch Alliance demonstrated the enduring reliability of the Atlas V 551 configuration—its most powerful variant. Viasat, on the other hand, recovers momentum after the earlier failure of its first terabit-class satellite with a fresh opportunity to validate its architecture in space.

The Viasat-3 Americas payload, now in orbit, consists of a global beam, multiple regional beams, and thousands of spot beams—each engineered to deliver targeted, high-throughput coverage. With the capacity to deliver close to 1 Tbps of total network throughput, this satellite repositions Viasat as a direct competitor to emerging non-geostationary constellations, such as SpaceX’s Starlink or Amazon’s Project Kuiper, albeit with a different orbital and operational approach.

Strategically, this launch expands Viasat’s reach across the Americas, bringing potential connectivity to areas underserved by terrestrial networks. It provides ULA with another successful demonstration of mission execution, adding to its track record ahead of upcoming transitions to the Vulcan Centaur platform. From a broader view, it adds yet another node in the expanding infrastructure of space-based internet—an industry expected to exceed $16 billion by 2030, according to projections from NSR (Northern Sky Research).

As governments, enterprises, and consumers continue to lean on space infrastructure for real-time data, connectivity, and services, missions like this one redefine what’s technically feasible and commercially viable. What kind of digital footprint can a single terabit-class satellite cast across continents? The answer is becoming clearer at 35,786 kilometers above the Earth.

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