Inmarsat Selects ILS Proton for the Inmarsat-5

Inmarsat has signed a contract with International Launch Services (ILS) for the deployment of the three Inmarsat-5 satellites. The launches are scheduled for 2013-2014 and will use the ILS Proton launch vehicle from the Baikonur Consodrome in Kazakhstan.

The three Inmarsat-5 satellites will be state of the art 702HP Ka-band satellites being built by Boeing. These satellites from the constellation will support Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network. The Global Express service will provide global coverage and will deliver high speed broadband service up to 50MB/s for users in all areas of the market. Inmarsat is investing $2.1 billion in the Global Xpress program.

Inmarsat continues its relationship with ILS after successfully launching Inmarsat’s I-4 satellites in August 2008.

The Proton launch vehicle is Russia’s heavy lift launcher. It is built by Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. The ILS Proton has successfully launched 31 consecutive missions since July 2008 and has launched 365 missions since 1965.

"Selecting a launch services provider is a critical part of releasing our Global Xpress vision," said Andrew Sukawaty, Chairman and CEO of Inmarsat. "Our agreement with ILS shows that we are well on track with our aggressive program for Global Xpress, with service planned to start in 2013. We have partnered with ILS and Khrunichev for previous launches, and look forward to a successful campaign for Inmarsat-5."

Inmarsat is the leading provider of global satellite communication since 1979.