Inmarsat launches GX5 and eyes Latin America

David Oliver

Inmarsat’s GX5 was successfully launched from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on 26 November 2019. The Very High Throughput Satellite (V-HTS) was carried into orbit by an Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher and is now being raised into geostationary orbit 35,786 km (22,236 miles) above Earth.

Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) network is the world’s first and only globally available mobile broadband network. The GX network has been serving organisations and governments worldwide since 2015, and today it is standard for mobile satellite communications. Operating in the Ka-band, Global Xpress also integrates seamlessly with Inmarsat’s L-band network to deliver powerful and reliable connectivity worldwide.

The company’s GX5 delivers double the capacity of the entire existing GX fleet into the EMEA region. Inmarsat’s GX-10 programme marks the beginning of the next phase of the GX network evolution that will enhance the global broadband coverage by 2013 with a transformation in network capacity and service capability and ensure GX remains at the forefront of SATCOM innovation.

At Expodefensa a spokesman for the UK-based company said that South and Central Americas have been something of a sleeping giant regarding satellite communication but have a requirement for the new technologies.

Global Xpress is the first global Ka-band network and has been built specifically with government customers in mind. It delivers secure, end-to-end wideband connectivity for seamless airborne, naval and land operations worldwide. Working with local partners in the region, Inmarsat’s Ka-band military communication networks have been acquired by numerous navies in the region, especially for their training ship fleets, including those of Chile and Mexico, with the Colombian Navy being the most recent customer earlier this year.

Photo courtesy Inmarsat

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