Global mobile satellite communications services provider Inmarsat confirmed the third satellite in its Global Xpress program—Inmarsat-5 F3—will launch Aug. 28. It is scheduled to be deployed at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:44 p.m. (BST).
The third Global Xpress satellite to be launched, I-5 F3, will cover the Pacific Ocean region and will, together withInmarsat-5 F1 (I-5 F1) and Inmarsat-5 F2 (I-5 F2), create the world’s first globally available, high-speed mobile broadband service, delivered through a single provider.
Inmarsat’s fifth generation satellites have all been built by Boeing Satellite Systems in California. The launch is being undertaken for Inmarsat by International Launch Services (ILS) using a Proton launch vehicle.
According to Inmarsat, Global Xpress will deliver broadband speeds “around 100 times faster than the company’s fourth generation (I-4) constellation. It will offer new opportunities for customers, in both the public and private sectors, to significantly enhance their connectivity and to access bandwidth-hungry applications, even in the remotest and most inaccessible regions of the world.”
Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce said: “The completion of the Global Xpress constellation will be a significant milestone for our organization and is fundamental to the delivery of a new era in mobile satellite communications, which will change the future for us all.”
The first Global Xpress satellite (I-5 F1) was launched in December 2013 and entered commercial service in July 2014, covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. This was followed by the launch of I-5 F2 on Feb. 1, 2015, which covers the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean; it will enter commercial service later in August.
Following the successful launch of I-5 F3, Inmarsat expects to commence global commercial GX services by the end of the year.
SkyDrive signed a Letter of Intent with Gold Coast Helitours, a premier helicopter operator based in the Gold Coast, Australia. This milestone agreement represents SkyDrive's first LOI w...
FL Technics subsidiary FL Technics LLC, which provides Line Maintenance services across the Middle East, has expanded its approved capabilities by adding Airbus A350, Boeing 777, Boeing 787, and Boein...
EHang launches its Global Fast Track Program — a structured and accelerated pathway for the assessment and introduction of pilotless eVTOL operations in international markets. Sri Lanka is...
WestJet completed the transformation of its remaining all-economy aircraft, fulfilling its commitment to update the interior of all aircraft that were formerly operated by Swoop or Sunwing airlines. T...
