VIASAT Waiting on Liftoff and a Wire

Viasat calls it a launch year. The crown jewel is still in a crate and the big check lives in legal paperwork. Confidence arrives in a press release. Reality waits for a countdown and a bank transfer.

The first ViaSat-3 left a dent. Management now speaks like people who touched a hot stove. “Corrective actions,” “qualified hardware,” “shipment by September.” The range schedule belongs to someone else, so the calendar behaves like a suggestion.