Inmarsat-5 F5 (Inmarsat GX5) at 11° East
Position: | 11° East |
Manufacturer: | Thales Alenia Space |
Operator: | Inmarsat |
Launch operator: | Arianespace |
Launch vehicle: | Ariane 5ECA |
Launch date: | 11/29/2019 |
Expected lifetime: | 16 Years |
Inmarsat-5 F5 satellite is operated by satellite operator Inmarsat from the UK. The satellite is the fifth of the next-generation Inmarsat fleet satellites aimed to boost connectivity speeds for users on-the-move in airplanes, on boats and on land.
The satellite was ordered in June 2017 from Thales Alenia Space for about 130 million USD to expand Inmarsat’s Global Express (GX) system.
The satellite is a Very High Throughput Satellite (VHTS), providing capacity across the Middle-East, Europe and the Indian sub-continent. The payload will seamlessly become part of Inmarsat’s existing GX high-speed global broadband network. The combination of latest satellite technology and a focus on areas of high demand, which will drive high-capacity utilization, will together result in a very low cost per bit delivered. This new satellite will be based on the flight proven Spacebus-4000B2 enhanced platform and will be fitted with 72 Ka-band beams. With a specified design life of 16 years, it will weigh less than 4 metric tons at launch and will offer payload power of about 6.8kW.
Inmarsat-5 F5 was successfully launched in a dual launch with TiBA-1 for the Government of Egypt, on November 29th, 2019 on an Ariane 5ECA rocket, operated by launch operator Arianespace, from the Kourou Space Port in French Guyana.