World’s Most Advanced Communications Satellite Ready to Be Launched From Japan

Airbus is a long-term partner for Inmarsat, a name that’s instantly associated with top-level telecommunication systems. After having built the Inmarsat-4 and Alphasat satellites, Airbus has now reached another milestone, with the completion of the Inmarsat-6 F1 project. The groundbreaking satellite, one of two to be launched soon, has just been shipped from Toulouse, France, to Tanegashima, in Japan.

This is where the I-6 F1 will be launched, from the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center, just a few days before Christmas.

The I-6 F1 is based on the Airbus Eurostar E3000 spacecraft, and it’s one of the first to be powered by an electric propulsion system. This innovation meant that the spacecraft could be lighter, which allowed an increase in the payload onboard. This dual payload is comprised of a large L-band antenna, plus nine multibeam Ka-band antennas, making the I-6 a true trailblazer – not only the biggest satellite of its kind in the world, but also the first to be equipped with this hybrid communications technology.

This leads to increased capacity, coverage, and speed. Inmarsat claims that the new satellite will provide the fastest L-band speeds available, while also boasting twice the capacity per beam, and power, compared to the company’s previous satellite generation, the I-4. This translates to more data that can be delivered over the same amount of bandwidth. Plus, the new generation modular digital processor is responsible for greater routing flexibility, ensuring high connectivity even in the most congested areas.

The new Inmarsat-6 weighs 5.5 tons and is designed to last for 15 years. It will be launched into space on an H-IIA launch vehicle developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.