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EADS Astrium-built Inmarsat-4 F2 Satellite Successfully Deployed in Orbit |
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LONDON, Nov. 29, 2005/Satnews Daily/ — Following its launch on November 8 by Sea Launch, the second Inmarsat-4 satellite, EADS Astrium’s sixth Eurostar E3000 spacecraft in-orbit, has reached geosynchronous orbit through three apogee engine firings. EADS Astrium said its 45m wingspan solar array and 80 square meter antenna reflector are both fully deployed, and the spacecraft has acquired its final Earth-pointing control mode.
All systems are operating nominally, EADS Astrium said. The payload, which includes an innovative digital processor, has been switched on and will be fully tested at 8 degrees E longitude on the geostationary arc before the satellite is moved to its operational position at 53 degrees W and enters commercial service.
The second huge Inmarsat-4 satellite will enable Inmarsat to address a wide area covering the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean and part of the Pacific Ocean. The first satellite was launched earlier this year and is already in service, covering Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as the Indian Ocean. A third satellite is complete and in stand-by storage. All three satellites are identical and interchangeable - their coverage is programmable and can be reconfigured in orbit.
The three Inmarsat I-4 spacecraft have been built to support Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN), a new service that will deliver unprecedented voice and broadband data connectivity, at speeds of up to half-a-megabit per second, to mobile users around the world.
Recent Stories: EADS Astrium Awarded Satellite Equipment Contract from Space Systems/Loral ESA Selects EADS Astrium to Build Swarm Satellites General Dynamics, EADS DS Ltd, and Paradigm Sign Contract for Joint Networks Program |
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