Inmarsat-8 F1, 2, 3

Inmarsat-8 (I-8) [SWISSto12]

Inmarsat-8 is the eighth generation of satellites for the London-based global mobile satellite communications operator Inmarsat. The three identical eighth-generation will boost network resilience, guaranteeing the continued availability of Inmarsat's international L-band safety services. The spacecraft will be developed by SWISSto12.

The I-8's will use SWISSto12's ground-breaking new class of spacecraft, which has a form factor up to five times smaller than conventional geostationary satellites but can still reliably deliver crucial safety services. The I-8's have a volume of just 1.5 cubic meters. The three satellites are small enough to be launched together on a single launch.

In addition to the current constellation and Inmarsat's two I-6 generation satellites, which were launched in December 2021 and February 2023, the three L-8 satellites will continue to offer an extra layer of resilience.

Inmarsat has a history of launching and managing radio navigation transponders for governments and international space agencies, and each I-8 will add to that. These transponders allow for the provision of Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) services, such as those for air traffic controllers and coast guards, all over the world. SBAS systems improve the 5 to 10 meter standard GPS/Galileo accuracy to as little as 10 cm using satellite connectivity, land-based infrastructure, and software.

A wide range of industrial innovations, such as device tracking in agriculture or sophisticated, automated transport management systems, could be made possible by such precise tracking. These innovations could include pinpoint safety navigation on aircraft, speeding up the time emergency services can reach vessels in distress.

Into 2040s, the I-8 satellites will maintain the security of Inmarsat's global safety services. The business was established in 1979 by the United Nations with the express purpose of offering extremely dependable safety communications. Currently, over 200 airlines and 1.6 million seafarers rely on Inmarsat's global L-band network to provide 99.9% availability every day.