UK satellite telecommunications firm Inmarsat’s second Global Xpress (GX) satellite, Inmarsat-5 F2 (I-5 F2), has launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Launched aboard International Launch Services’ Proton Breeze M rocket, the I-5 F2 was successfully acquired by the Inmarsat Paumalu ground station, and separated from the rocket stage.
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The satellite will be subjected to a series of manoeuvres to raise to the geosynchronous elliptical orbit, and will deploy its solar arrays and reflectors after the electrical orbit-raising phase.
Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce said: "The successful launch of our second Inmarsat-5 satellite by Proton is a significant step forward on our journey to deliver the world’s first globally available, high-speed mobile broadband service.
"With Inmarsat-5 F3 expected for launch by Proton in the coming months, we are on schedule to achieve full global coverage early in the second half of 2015."
Built on Boeing’s 702HP platform, I-5 F2 was designed to provide high-speed broadband services across the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean regions.
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By GlobalDataWeighing 6,100kg, the satellite is designed to operate for 15 years. The I-5 F2 is part of the company’s Global Xpress constellation, a $1.6bn high-speed mobile broadband service.
The fleet of satellites is said to offer a unique combination of global Ka-band coverage from a single operator.
Inmarsat-5 F1, the first Global Xpress satellite, entered commercial service in July 2014, and serves Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Image: Inmarsat-5 F2 was launched aboard International Launch Services’ Proton Breeze M rocket. Photo: courtesy of Roscosmos.
