Inmarsat has confirmed that the first of its new generation I-6 satellite fleet has now reached geostationary orbit 36,000km above the Earth, following its launch from Japan in December 2021, and has begun on-orbit testing.
Carrying both L-band and Ka-band payloads, I-6 F1 will provide a significant enhancement to Inmarsat’s existing L-band and Ka-band networks.
The satellite was launched by MHI at the end of last year and has since been moving towards its orbit location via its all-electric propulsion system. It will carry out an extensive testing programme at a location over the Atlantic before it moves to enter service over the Eastern Indian Ocean in early 2023.
Ground stations at Perth and Merredin in Western Australia will support I-6 F1 services, Inmarsat says.
The satellite will soon be followed by its ‘identical twin’, I-6 F2, which has just completed testing at Airbus Defence and Space facilities in Toulouse, France. It is due to be launched in Q1 2023 by SpaceX.
“The I-6 satellites will extend Inmarsat’s global leadership in L-band services through ELERA to the 2040s, as well as enhance further our Global Xpress Ka-band network capacity in emerging hotspots,” said Peter Hadinger, Inmarsat Chief Technology Officer.
“Offering greater bandwidth and coverage, supporting greater speeds and a greater portfolio of innovative connectivity, Inmarsat’s I-6s also substantially increase the effective capacity of the ELERA network available to our customers. Having double the beams, 50% more spectrum per beam and double the power of the I-4s, the I-6s’ advanced processors match customer demand as and where it is needed in real-time.”
“We look forward to completing testing in orbit for I-6 F1 as well as delivery of I-6 F2 ahead of an early 2023 launch. With both I-6s entering service in 2023 we begin a new era of Inmarsat capabilities to satisfy and exceed our customer needs.”
The I-6 satellites are backward-compatible with existing terminals, so current and future customers will benefit from their introduction, the company notes.
