Britain's commercial satellite to be launched by end of August

After being delayed for several months, the third satellite of Global Xpress (GX) program was scheduled for launch later this month, Inmarsat, the company behind the project, announced on Monday.

Using a Russian-built Proton rocket, the Inmarsat-5 F3 satellite was planned to be launched at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 28th of August, according to the London-based Inmarsat.

It is the company's 5th generation satellite, and was built by Boeing Satellite Systems International Inc. The launch is being undertaken for Inmarsat by International Launch Services.

Two satellites have been successfully launched, and once the latest one is put into orbit, they can create the world's first globally available, high-speed mobile broadband service, delivered through a single provider.

The new network will deliver broadband speeds around 100 times faster than the company's fourth generation constellation worldwide, Inmarsat said.

Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, said: "The completion of the Global Xpress constellation will be a significant milestone for our organization and is fundamental to the delivery of a new era in mobile satellite communications which will change the future for us all. "

The GX program has been delayed due to technical issues with the Proton rocket. Six Protons and their payloads have been lost in the past five years.

If the third satellite is successfully launched into orbit, Inmarsat expects to commence global commercial GX services by the end of the year. Enditem