Inmarsat-6 F1 is a communications satellite to be operated by the British satellite operator

Inmarsat Inmarsat is a British communications satellite, satellite telecommunications company, offering global mobile services. It provides telephone and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate with groun ...

and designed and manufactured by

Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus SE. Formed in 2014 in the restructuring of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), Airbus SE comprises the former Airbus Military, Astrium, and divisions. Contributing 21% of Airbus reven ...

on the Eurostar 3000EOR

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are less customized than specially-produced satelli ...

. Part of the Inmarsat-6 satellite fleet, it will be Inmarsat's first dual-payload satellite, with capabilities in both

L-band The L band is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) designation for the range of Frequency, frequencies in the radio spectrum from 1 to 2 gigahertz (GHz). This is at the top end of the ultra high frequency (UHF) band, at t ...

(ELERA) and

Ka-band The Ka band (pronounced as either "kay-ay band" or "ka band") is a portion of the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The designation "Ka-band" is from Kurz-above, which stems from the German word ''kurz,'' meaning "short". There ...

(Global Xpress). Claimed to be the largest and most sophisticated commercial telecommunications satellite ever launched, as the first of two such vehicles, it was placed into

supersynchronous transfer orbit A supersynchronous orbit is either an orbit with a period greater than that of a synchronous orbit, or just an orbit whose major axis is larger than that of a synchronous orbit. A synchronous orbit has a period equal to the rotational period of the ...

on 22 December 2021. The platform uses electric propulsion for orbit raising in order to reduce the mass compared to traditional systems. The I-6 satellites will be powered by

Safran Safran S.A. () is a French Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace, defence industry, defence and computer security, security corporation headquartered in Paris. It designs, develops and manufactures both commercial and military airc ...

Snecma Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It d ...

PPS-5000

electric propulsion Spacecraft electric propulsion (or just electric propulsion) is a type of spacecraft propulsion technique that uses electrostatic or electromagnetic fields to accelerate mass to high speed and thus generating thrust to modify the velocity of a ...

will then raise the satellite into final

geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...

and will include two deployable solar arrays and batteries. The design life of the I-6F1 will be 15 years.

Objectives

The L-band payload supports Inmarsat's ELERA communication system, while the Ka-band payload augments the

Global Xpress Inmarsat is a British satellite telecommunications company, offering global mobile services. It provides telephone and data services to users worldwide, via portable or mobile terminals which communicate with ground stations through fiftee ...

constellation. The L-band capabilities will augment the 10 year old I4 satellite L-band communication systems increasing the network bandwidth by four times. The L-band is primarily used for non-government communication of voice calls, messaging, and the

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea developed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the SOLAS Convention ...

. The Ka-band can support video and other high data rate web transfers used by commercial and government customers.

F2

The F2 satellite was launched in February 2023 and suffered a power system failure in orbit. It is not operational and is not expected to become operational.

References

External links

{{Orbital launches in 2021 Communications satellites in geostationary orbit Satellites using the Eurostar bus Inmarsat satellites Spacecraft launched in 2021

Objectives

F2

See also

References

External links