Inmarsat launches its first Global Xpress satellite

British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, has successfully launched its first Global Xpress (GX) satellite Inmarsat-5 F1 on board a Proton Breeze M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

The satellite was correctly acquired by the Inmarsat Paumalu station and the Inmarsat-5 launch provider, ILS, confirmed a successful spacecraft separation.

Built by Boeing Satellite Systems International, Inmarsat-5 F1 is part of a $1.6 billion investment by Inmarsat into the next generation of global mobile broadband communications. This investment includes a fourth Inmarsat-5 satellite ordered from Boeing in October 2013. 

Inmarsat is the owner and commercial operator of the Global Xpress constellation. By the close of 2014 the fleet will comprise three high throughput satellites offering a unique combination of seamless global Ka-band coverage from a single operator, consistent higher performance of up to 50 Mbps to mobile or fixed terminals, and the network reliability for which Inmarsat is renowned. 

Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce said, “The successful launch of this first Inmarsat-5 satellite is a major landmark on our journey to deliver the world’s first globally available, high speed mobile broadband service. We are on schedule to achieve full global coverage by the end of 2014.

“The Inmarsat-5 generation is, by some distance, the fastest satellite development programme in our history. This is an extraordinary achievement and I would like to pay tribute to the skill and expertise of Inmarsat’s engineering teams and all our employees involved in the design, development, manufacturing, testing and launch. It is their dedication, alongside the outstanding support we have received from our manufacturing and launch partners – Boeing and ILS – which has helped deliver such a successful outcome.”

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/international-news/item/3793-inmarsat-launches-its-first-global-xpress-satellite.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/international-news/item/3793-inmarsat-launches-its-first-global-xpress-satellite.html