Carlsbad’s Viasat said Tuesday that it expects to begin launching its next-generation broadband Internet satellite constellation early next year — marking another delay in getting the terabyte-class satellites into orbit.
The Viasat-3 constellation is made up of three satellites, each with about 1.5 terabits per second of maximum capacity. It aims to deliver faster speeds and more affordable data to airlines for in-flight Wi-Fi, rural homes of residential Internet, as well as to oil rigs, cruise ships and government customers. It supplies in-flight Internet to Air Force One and other government VIP aircraft.
Starlink has launched more than 2,500 small, low-earth orbit satellites so far. It is offering service across the U.S. and worldwide, including assisting Ukraine in its war with Russia. It has garnered an estimated 400,000 users since October 2020.