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WASHINGTON — Satellite communications provider Viasat announced Oct. 10 that its ViaSat-3 F1 satellite has begun providing services to the U.S. Marine Corps, marking the first U.S. government user of the new spacecraft that experienced deployment issues after its launch last year.
The satellite, which covers the Americas, is now supporting the Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38 and the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, utilizing existing military multi-mission terminals for access. ViaSat-3 F1 also recently started providing commercial airline services over North America.
ViaSat-3 F1, launched in April 2023, faced an antenna deployment anomaly that significantly reduced its overall capacity. However, the company stated that the satellite remains capable of supporting high-speed broadband services for both government and commercial customers across North America.
“The ViaSat-3 satellite network was designed with government missions in mind,” said Susan Miller, president of Viasat Government.
The ViaSat-3 constellation includes three geostationary Ka-band satellites, each covering specific global regions.
Two additional satellites, ViaSat-3 F2 and F3, intended to cover Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region respectively, are in late-stage production and testing. Craig Miller, Viasat’s president of global space networks, reported successful completion of thermal vacuum testing on ViaSat-3 F3 and mechanical environmental testing on ViaSat-3 F2.
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