I5F3_Shipping

UK satellite telecommunications firm Inmarsat is preparing to launch the third Global Xpress (GX) satellite, Inmarsat-5 F3 (I-5 F3), from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 28 August.

The I-5 F3 will complement the Inmarsat-5 F1 and F2 satellites, creating the world’s first high-speed mobile broadband service by a single provider.

Boeing Satellite Systems International has built the Inmarsat’s fifth-generation satellites in California.

International Launch Services (ILS) was selected for the satellites aboard the Proton launch vehicle.

The I-5 F3 was originally planned for lift-off in May; however, failure of the preceding Proton Breeze M launch has delayed the schedule.

"Our GX technology will drive innovation and support value-added services and solutions for our government and enterprise customers."

Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce said: "The completion of the Global Xpress constellation will be a significant milestone for our organisation and is fundamental to the delivery of a new era in mobile satellite communications, which will change the future for us all.

"We believe that our GX technology will drive innovation and support value-added services and solutions for our government and enterprise customers on land, at sea and in the air; in opportunities as diverse as the merchant maritime, business and commercial aviation, government, energy and resources and enterprise VSAT segments."

The Global Xpress constellation is said to offer broadband at speeds of around 100 times faster than the I-4 version.

The network will offer improved connectivity services to public and private sectors, as well as support accessing high bandwidth-using applications in remote areas of the world.

Inmarsat launched the first Global Xpress satellite, I-5 F1, in December 2013 to serve Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It was followed by the I-5 F2 in February this year, covering the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean.

Following the launch of I-5 F3, global commercial GX services are expected to commence by the end of the year.

Image: Inmarsat-5 F3 at launch site in Kazakhstan. Photo: courtesy of Inmarsat plc.