Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) successfully launched Inmarsat’s first Inmarsat-6 satellite dubbed I-6 F1, from Japan’s JAXA Tanegashima Space Center. I-6 satellites show Inmarsat’s commitment to L-band satellite solutions beyond 2040. By dramatically increasing network capacity and resilience, they provide an advanced platform for those searching to embrace the very next wave of world-switching technologies which ELERA facilitates, including the fast-expanding Industrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT) satellite connectivity market segment.
For the ELERA as well as Global Xpress (GX) networks, these new capabilities from I-6s offer more capacity and coverage, faster speeds, and a wider range of creative connectivity solutions. The I-6 satellites, just like all the Inmarsat GX and ELERA spaceship, are backward-compatible with current terminals, ensuring that new products and services benefit current and prospective consumers.
“As we retain our great commercial momentum and industry leadership, this launch symbolizes Inmarsat’s newest technological leap forward. “This satellite expands our mobile satellite communications capabilities for our clients and partners, particularly in the Indo-Pacific area,” stated Inmarsat CEO Rajeev Suri.
The I-6 F1 is around the size of a London double-decker bus, featuring a deployed solar arrays ‘wingspan’ similar to that of a Boeing 767 as well as a L-band reflector, that is 9-meter-wide and which is going to be deployed over the next few days. The satellite will subsequently be launched into geostationary orbit (GEO) at a height of around 36,000 kilometers (22,500 miles) above the Earth, using its all-electric propulsion system, before going through a rigorous and extensive testing procedure. In 2023, the I-6 F1 will be put into service. I-6 F1 will be supported by ground stations in the Western part of Australia.
Inmarsat-6s (I-6) are Inmarsat’s first hybrid L- as well as Ka-band satellites, with higher capacity and new technology advancements enabling ELERA’s transformative L-band services, as well as more GX (Global Xpress) high-speed broadband capacity.
They join Inmarsat’s existing worldwide fleet of about 14 geostationary satellites in extending the company’s commitment to mission-critical solutions while allowing a new generation of cutting-edge technologies to link and support the planet.
With double the beams, 50 percent more spectrum per beam, as well as double the power of I-4s, the I-6s significantly improve the effective network capacity available to ELERA customers, matching consumer demand as well as where it is needed. They also expand Inmarsat’s global coverage, giving customers even more confidence in the redundancy and robustness of the company’s world-leading L-band network.
The GX6 payloads on I-6s add tailored high capacity to Inmarsat’s high-speed GX network, guaranteeing that it can meet the growing demand for data from commercial and government customers, especially in congested areas or hotspots.