Internet at 1TB per second: Viasat launches powerful broadband satellite
Viasat successfully launched its ViaSat-3 F3 satellite on April 29, 2026, designed to deliver over one terabit of data capacity per second across India and Asia-Pacific. The satellite is expected to enter service in late summer 2026, bringing faster, more flexible internet connectivity.
India is about to get faster, more reliable internet from space. On April 29, 2026, a powerful new satellite called ViaSat-3 F3 blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, one of the most powerful rockets currently in operation.
And its sights are firmly set on the Asia-Pacific region, including India.
The satellite lifted off at 7:43 pm IST on April 29 and separated from the rocket roughly five hours after liftoff. Viasat is a California-based communications company.
Within minutes, engineers received the first signals confirming it was alive, healthy, and orbiting the Earth exactly as planned.
WHAT DOES THIS SATELLITE ACTUALLY DO?
Think of ViaSat-3 F3 as a giant internet router floating 35,786 kilometres above the equator in what is called geostationary orbit, which means it stays fixed over the same patch of Earth at all times.
It is designed to deliver over one terabit per second of data capacity. To put that in perspective, one terabit per second is roughly equivalent to streaming a million high-definition videos simultaneously.
What makes this satellite smarter than its predecessors is its beam-forming technology. Instead of broadcasting signals in fixed directions, it can steer and concentrate bandwidth, like a spotlight rather than a floodlight, directing internet capacity precisely where demand is highest, whether over a busy flight route, a remote village, or a naval vessel at sea.
WHEN WILL INDIA BENEFIT FROM IT?
ViaSat-3 F3 completes Viasat's three-satellite global constellation. The satellite must now navigate to its permanent orbital position, deploy its large reflectors, and undergo rigorous in-orbit testing before it enters service. That is expected to happen in late summer 2026.
Gautam Sharma, Managing Director of Viasat India, said the satellite will dynamically deliver bandwidth across aviation corridors, maritime routes, remote communities, and government operations throughout the region.
For India, a country where millions still struggle with patchy connectivity, a satellite capable of flooding the skies with flexible, high-speed internet could be genuinely transformative.
The future of India’s internet may well be written in orbit.
India is about to get faster, more reliable internet from space. On April 29, 2026, a powerful new satellite called ViaSat-3 F3 blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, one of the most powerful rockets currently in operation.
And its sights are firmly set on the Asia-Pacific region, including India.
The satellite lifted off at 7:43 pm IST on April 29 and separated from the rocket roughly five hours after liftoff. Viasat is a California-based communications company.
Within minutes, engineers received the first signals confirming it was alive, healthy, and orbiting the Earth exactly as planned.
WHAT DOES THIS SATELLITE ACTUALLY DO?
Think of ViaSat-3 F3 as a giant internet router floating 35,786 kilometres above the equator in what is called geostationary orbit, which means it stays fixed over the same patch of Earth at all times.
It is designed to deliver over one terabit per second of data capacity. To put that in perspective, one terabit per second is roughly equivalent to streaming a million high-definition videos simultaneously.
What makes this satellite smarter than its predecessors is its beam-forming technology. Instead of broadcasting signals in fixed directions, it can steer and concentrate bandwidth, like a spotlight rather than a floodlight, directing internet capacity precisely where demand is highest, whether over a busy flight route, a remote village, or a naval vessel at sea.
WHEN WILL INDIA BENEFIT FROM IT?
ViaSat-3 F3 completes Viasat's three-satellite global constellation. The satellite must now navigate to its permanent orbital position, deploy its large reflectors, and undergo rigorous in-orbit testing before it enters service. That is expected to happen in late summer 2026.
Gautam Sharma, Managing Director of Viasat India, said the satellite will dynamically deliver bandwidth across aviation corridors, maritime routes, remote communities, and government operations throughout the region.
For India, a country where millions still struggle with patchy connectivity, a satellite capable of flooding the skies with flexible, high-speed internet could be genuinely transformative.
The future of India’s internet may well be written in orbit.
