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ILS to Launch Inmarsat Satellite on March 10 |
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McLEAN, Va., March 7, 2005/Satnews Daily/ — International Launch Services announced on Friday the launch on Thursday, March 10, of Inmarsat 4-F1 satellite on an Atlas V from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. ILS officials said launch window will open at 4:42-4:57 p.m. EST or 21:42-21:57 GMT.
Three Inmarsat I-4 spacecraft has been designed to deliver Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN), a new service that will bring seamless mobile voice and broadband Internet connectivity around the world. BGAN will also be compatible with third-generation cellular systems.
The huge spacecraft weighs six tons and three-quarters, the size of a double-decker bus, and is billed as the largest and most powerful commercial communications satellite ever to be launched on an Atlas rocket.
Built by EADS Astrium at its factory in Toulouse, France, Inmarsat I-4 is based on Eurostar E3000 platform. The spacecraft has both C- and L-band capable of more than 200 spot beams. It will operate at 65 degrees East longitude and has a 13-year targeted lifetime.
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