Overview
- Falcon Heavy lifted off Wednesday at 10:13 a.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite toward geostationary transfer orbit.
- About five hours after liftoff, Boeing mission controllers confirmed satellite separation and a healthy signal, with Viasat targeting service start in late summer for Asia-Pacific customers.
- Both side boosters landed at Landing Zones 2 and 40 at Cape Canaveral and the center core was expended, marking the rocket’s 12th Falcon Heavy mission and its first since October 2024.
- A separate Falcon 9 from Vandenberg is slated for an evening window of 7–11 p.m. PT to add 24 Starlink internet satellites, with the booster aiming for the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific.
- SpaceX will stream the Vandenberg launch, and Arizona skywatchers may or may not see it due to the rocket’s southern path and local viewing conditions.