Inmarsat-5 F3

Spacecraft nº:

Inmarsat spacecraft nº: 16

Launch data: Designation  40882 / 15042A Launch date  28 Aug 2015 - 11:44 UT Launch site  Baik, LC-200/39 Launch vehicle  Proton-M /Briz-M Mission   Geostationary orbit: Perigee / Apogee  31521 x 41016 km Eccentricity   Inclination  0.2 ° Period  1436.2 min

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• INMARSAT 5-F3 is the 3rd satellite of Inmarsat's Global Xpress network. The first two Inmarsat Global Xpress satellites launched cover Europe, the Middle East Africa, the Atlantic Ocean and the Americas, while INMARSAT 5-F3 will cover Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Each Global Xpress satellite, part of Inmarsat's fifth generation fleet, carries 89 fixed and steerable spot beams in Ka-band. The company's earlier satellites broadcast in L-band, but Inmarsat switched to Ka-band for the Global Xpress system, offering improved downlink communications speeds to 50 megabits per second, with up to 5 megabits per second on the uplink side. Inmarsat says major customers of the Global Xpress network include airlines, which use satellite links for safety and passenger entertainment, the maritime industry, oil and gas platforms, media companies, and the military. The improved broadband connections will give airline passengers more options for entertainment and work while in the air, and could help air traffic controllers and airlines track the status of jumbo jets flying outside the reach of terrestrial radars.
• Each Inmarsat-5 satellite will carry 89 Ka-band beams that will operate in geosynchronous orbit with flexible global coverage. The satellites are designed to generate approximately 15 kilowatts of power at the start of service and approximately 13.8 kilowatts at the end of their 15-year design life. To generate such high power, each spacecraft's two solar wings employ five panels each of ultra triple-junction gallium arsenide solar cells. The Boeing 702HP carries the xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) for all on-orbit maneuvering. When operational, the Inmarsat-5 satellites will provide Inmarsat with a comprehensive range of global mobile satellite services, including mobile broadband communications for deep-sea vessels, in-flight connectivity for airline passengers and streaming high-resolution video, voice and data.

External links:

• Spaceflight 101: Satellite Information
• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking