03.12.2005 08:31
Inmarsat 4-F1 (6 tons, 3G mobile data service, up to 432kbit/s) in orbit
The size of a London double decker bus, Inmarsat
4-F1 is now in a supersynchronous
orbit. (Apogee altitude (km) achieved 90,553 (predicted
90,497); Perigee altitude (km) achieved 441 km (predicted 440);
Inclination (deg) achieved 20.83 (predicted 20.83).) Click here to
watch a replay of the launch. Once in its final position over
the Indian Ocean at 64 degrees East, the satellite's footprint will
cover Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent,
most of Asia Pacific, and Western Australia.
As its name indicates, it's the first of three fourth generation satellites Inmarsat will launch to provide Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service: IP and circuit-switched voice telephony and high-bandwidth services, including internet access, videoconferencing, LAN and other services, at speeds of up to 432kbit/s while on the move on the ground or in the air, using a laptop antenna or special cellphone.
An Atlas V vehicle, with 4-meter-diameter fairing, three solid rocket boosters (SRBs) and a single-engine Centaur upper stage, placed Inmarsat 4-F1 in orbit. Lockheed-Martin builds the Atlas V. International Launch Services, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center of Moscow, carried out launch services from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It's the largest privately owned satellite launched from the Cape. ILS also uses the Russian Proton vehicle.
Later this year, a second I-4 satellite should go up, and once it's operational over the Atlantic, 85% of the world's land mass will have access to BGAN.
Sources:
As its name indicates, it's the first of three fourth generation satellites Inmarsat will launch to provide Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service: IP and circuit-switched voice telephony and high-bandwidth services, including internet access, videoconferencing, LAN and other services, at speeds of up to 432kbit/s while on the move on the ground or in the air, using a laptop antenna or special cellphone.
An Atlas V vehicle, with 4-meter-diameter fairing, three solid rocket boosters (SRBs) and a single-engine Centaur upper stage, placed Inmarsat 4-F1 in orbit. Lockheed-Martin builds the Atlas V. International Launch Services, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center of Moscow, carried out launch services from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It's the largest privately owned satellite launched from the Cape. ILS also uses the Russian Proton vehicle.
Later this year, a second I-4 satellite should go up, and once it's operational over the Atlantic, 85% of the world's land mass will have access to BGAN.
Sources:
- Atlas V Rocket Launches From Cape
- Successful Launch for Inmarsat-4 Satellite
- ILS Atlas V Vehicle Lifts Massive Satellite for Inmarsat