Inmarsat has revealed that it has successfully launched Alphasat satellite on an Ariane 5 ECA from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana
Following lift off of its largest satellite to date, the satellite telecommunications company confirmed a spacecraft separation at 27 minutes 45 seconds, with the Alphasat Mission Operations Team verifying telemetry reception.
The Alphasat satellite is expected to start operations soon, followed by a period of in-orbit testing, Arianespace revealed.
Inmarsat satellites are currently used by global shipping, oil exploration, defence, aviation and media industries to meet their communications needs.
According to their schedule, the Alphasat Mission Operations Team completed partial solar array deployment and orbit raising last week.
“Alphasat will strengthen our existing I-4 series satellite constellation, providing coverage over Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” said Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat.
“The launch demonstrates Inmarsat’s long-term commitment to L-band services, and marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Inmarsat’s flagship satellite fleet, bringing new capabilities both in terms of performance and resource availability," he added.
