The spacex falcon heavy is scheduled to launch today, Monday, April 27, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during an 85-minute window that opens at 10: 21 a. m. ET. The mission will carry the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite, marking the rocket’s 12th-ever liftoff and its first flight in 18 months. Coverage is set to begin about 15 minutes before launch, with the launch window and timing anchored in Eastern Time.
Launch Window Opens at 10: 21 a. m. ET
The spacex falcon heavy is returning after last flying in October 2024, when it sent NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft toward the Jupiter system. This time, the payload is different and the destination is much closer to home: geostationary orbit, 22, 236 miles above Earth. From there, ViaSat-3 F3 is intended to provide high-throughput broadband service to customers across the Asia-Pacific region.
The rocket uses three modified Falcon 9 first stages strapped together, with the central booster carrying the upper stage and payload. Together, those boosters produce about 5. 1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, making the spacex falcon heavy the second-most-powerful launcher in operation today.
What the Mission Is Carrying
ViaSat-3 F3 weighs 6. 6 tons, or 6 metric tons, and is the third satellite in the ViaSat-3 series to reach orbit. ViaSat-3 F1 rode a Falcon Heavy in April 2023, while ViaSat-3 F2 flew on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V in November 2025. This mission keeps the spacex falcon heavy in a commercial role focused on heavy-lift satellite deployment.
The Falcon Heavy first flew in February 2018 on a test mission that sent Elon Musk’s cherry-red Tesla Roadster into orbit around the sun. Since then, it has flown 10 more missions, and each one has been successful.
Immediate Reactions and Watch Point
SpaceX has scheduled live coverage to begin roughly 15 minutes before liftoff. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is the launch site, and the 85-minute window gives mission teams room to manage the final countdown around ET. For watchers tracking the spacex falcon heavy today, the central detail is simple: this is the rocket’s long-awaited return after a year and a half away from flight.
Falcon Heavy’s role in this mission highlights a continuing pattern: large commercial satellites still depend on a small number of heavy-lift rockets to reach orbit. That makes the spacex falcon heavy launch an important test of readiness, timing, and payload delivery.
What Happens Next
If liftoff goes ahead on schedule, the immediate focus will shift to ascent, staging, and the satellite’s path toward geostationary orbit. The spacex falcon heavy will then add another flight to its record, and the ViaSat-3 F3 mission will move closer to deployment over the Asia-Pacific region. For now, all attention stays on the 10: 21 a. m. ET opening of the window and the rocket’s long-awaited return.
