I-6 satellites
Discover more about the world's most advanced commercial communications satellites
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Operating in the L-band, Ka-band and S-band, our satellites enable unparalleled breadth and diversity in the services we provide.
Inmarsat owns and operates the world’s most reliable, resilient and technologically advanced L-band satellite network – Inmarsat ELERA.
Our BGAN, FleetBroadband and SwiftBroadband voice and data and Internet of Things (IoT) machine-to-machine (M2M) services deliver connectivity anywhere. With the arrival of 5G and the connected IoT world, where billions of devices are connected every year, satellite communications will play an important part in transforming the way we live and work, by extending coverage and new capabilities into the seas, the skies and rural and remote areas to power an always-on global digital society.
Every day, our long-trusted safety services – the cornerstone of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – help keep millions of seafarers and airline passengers safe with unrivalled satellite and ground network availability of 99.9%.
Our award-winning Inmarsat-4 (I-4) fleet of satellites established the world’s first global 3G mobile network. Launched between 2005 and 2008, the first three I-4s were built by an international team from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the USA and Canada. With each satellite able to generate up to 19 wide beams and more than 200 narrow spot beams, the I-4s introduced always-on, seamless high-speed connectivity to every corner of the world. In 2013 we launched Alphasat to supplement the I-4 fleet, providing coverage over Europe, the Middle East and Africa and bringing new capabilities including 50 per cent more accessible L-band spectrum and nearly 20 per cent more mobile communication channels.
We continue to develop and innovate our ELERA secure narrowband network to meet the global, mobile connectivity needs of our customers now and in the future. ELERA offers the fastest L-band speeds available to customers, smaller, low-cost terminals.
ELERA is underpinned by our sixth-generation hybrid satellites to support a new wave of capabilities as well as global safety and mission critical services. In addition, the launch of our Inmarsat-8 satellites by 2026 will ensure the future of our safety services for decades to come.
The Inmarsat-6 (I-6) satellites are Inmarsat's largest and most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever to be launched.
Our first hybrid satellites feature both an ELERA (L-band) and Global Xpress (K-band) payload to power enhanced capabilities, coverage and capacity of our world leading communications networks for our global mobility, government and Internet of Things (IoT) customers.
I-6 F1, the first of our I-6 satellites, launched from the JAXA Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on 22 December 2021. The launch signalled the start of our visionary and fully funded technology roadmap.
We are securing the future of our critical L-band safety services into the 2040s and beyond with the launch of three Inmarsat-8 (I-8) satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) by 2026. The I-8s will provide additional capacity and resilience, alongside the I-6 satellites. Manufactured by SWISSto12, one of Europe’s fastest growing aerospace providers, each innovative new class of satellite has a form factor up to five times smaller than conventional GEO satellites at just 1.5 cubic metres in volume.
The I-8s will feature radionavigation transponders for Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) services to enable precision tracking for safety navigation on aircraft and maritime safety, and will open up new capabilities in machine-to-machine tracking for industries such as agriculture and transport.
Global Xpress (GX), operating in the Ka-band, is the first and only high-speed mobile broadband network to seamlessly span the world. Our market-leading service delivers the high bandwidth and reliability our customers demand.
The GX1-GX4 satellites were built by US manufacturer Boeing, based on its powerful 702HP platform. The first three GX satellites were launched between 2013-2015, with global commercial service starting in December 2015. GX4 was launched in May 2017 to provide additional capacity.
GX5 – a Very High Throughput Satellite (V-HTS) constructed by Thales Alenia Space – delivers more capacity than the entire GX1-GX4 fleet combined. It launched in November 2019 to meet growing demand across Europe and the Middle East, in particular for aviation Wi-Fi and commercial maritime services.
The advanced Ka-band payloads on our sixth generation satellites will add further depth to Global Xpress coverage, with targeted spotbeams delivering greater capacity when and where there is increased demand. GX6A went into commercial service in 2023 over the Indian Ocean.
The next generation of Global Xpress satellites, due to be launched by 2025, represents a step change in the evolution of GX’s capabilities, capacity and agility.
With a far quicker design and build time for the GX7, 8 & 9 satellites, manufactured by Airbus Defence & Space, we can keep pace with changes in customer demand and drastically reduce the cost of delivering more.
Each powering around twice the total capacity of the entire current GX network, these software-defined satellites will simultaneously create thousands of independent beams of different sizes, bandwidth and power that can be reconfigured and repositioned across the globe in real time. Customers already signed up to Global Xpress will be able to enjoy this massive boost in performance using their existing terminals.
For airlines wanting the shortest possible flight paths and merchant fleets and energy companies taking advantage of better access, lack of reliable connectivity in the high north has been a barrier. Two multi-beam, high-throughput payloads – GX10A & 10B – will operate in Highly Elliptical Orbits (HEO), ensuring continuous coverage and featuring the ability to direct capacity in real-time to the areas of highest demand.
The world’s first and only mobile broadband payloads dedicated to the Arctic region, GX10A & 10B will integrate seamlessly into the existing and planned GX network and will be fully compatible with current and future GX terminals.
Our GX Arctic expansion is being delivered in a partnership with Space Norway and its subsidiary Space Norway HEOSAT as part of the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission. The satellite carrying the GX payloads will be built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems and is scheduled to launch in 2024.
The European Aviation Network (EAN) is our in-flight connectivity system designed for airlines to service short haul flights prevalent in Europe’s skies. It combines our S-band satellite coverage with a complementary ground network component operated by Deutsche Telekom. While ensuring a reliable broadband service that supports streaming and other high bandwidth requirements, the EAN provides additional value to airlines through the employment of small, low weight, low drag terminals, enabling cost-savings and advancing sustainability initiatives.
