Overview
Inmarsat was established in 1979 to serve the maritime industry by developing satellite communications for ship management, distress and safety applications.

Inmarsat currently operates a global satellite system that is used by independent service providers to offer a range of communications services for customers in remote locations.

An intergovernmental structure presently with 84 member countries, it has since expanded into land, mobile and aeronautical communications, so that users now include thousands of people who live or work in remote areas without reliable terrestrial networks, or travelers anywhere.

The original Inmarsat spacecraft were built by an international consortium headed by British Aerospace. Subcontractors included Hughes Aircraft Company (USA), Fokker (Netherlands), Matra (France), MBB (Germany), NEC (Japan) and Spar (Canada). Satellite ground control operations contractors included CLTC (China), CNES (France), SED (Canada), Telespazio (Italy) and Intelsat.

 

Inmarsat Satellites

Inmarsat owns and operates the world's most advanced fleet of commercial mobile communications spacecraft, flying in geostationary orbit, 35,786km (22,240 statute miles) above the Earth.

This includes our two latest generation satellites, the Inmarsat-4s (I-4s), which were launched in 2005. Together, they provide coverage to around 85 per cent of the world's landmass and 98 per cent of the world's population.

Inmarsat is also planning to launch a third I-4 satellite in 2008. This will deliver complete mobile broadband coverage of the planet, except for the extreme polar regions.

Spot beam technology

Inmarsat's first wholly owned satellites, the Inmarsat-2s, were launched in the early 1990s, and the Inmarsat-3s - the first generation to use spot beam technology - followed later in the decade.

The total fleet now comprises 10 satellites. The I-4s set a new benchmark for mobile satellite communications in terms of their power, capacity and flexibility. One I-4 satellite is 60 times more powerful than an Inmarsat-3, and the I-4 fleet is expected to have a commercial life until around 2020.

Alphasat

Inmarsat has also entered into agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to become the commercial operator of a new satellite called Alphasat. The satellite is part of an ESA initiative to develop a new spacecraft platform capable of carrying a large communications payload. Alphasat is scheduled for completion in 2012 and will supplement the existing I-4 satellites. It will provide service over Europe, the Middle East and Africa.