Inmarsat launches second GX satellite

Inmarsat launches second GX satellite

Inmarsat has launched its second Global Xpress (GX) satellite, Inmarsat-5 F2.




The satellite – which was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan yesterday – forms part of a $1.6 billion investment by Inmarsat into its Global Xpress constellation. 


The satellite is scheduled to enter its final geostationary orbit by the end of March, ready for the start of payload testing at the beginning of April.  


“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,” said Rupert Pearce, CEO at Inmarsat.


The first GX satellite entered commercial service in July 2014 and has since been delivering service to customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Inmarsat-5 F3 is expected to launch in the coming months, with the company on schedule to achieve full global coverage early in the second half of 2015.





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