Both Inmarsat-6 F1 and Inmarsat-6 F2 carry a hybrid L- and Ka-band payload for providing mobile connectivity services to maritime, aviation, and government customers.
Airbus expects Inmarsat-6 F2 to complete post-launch orbital maneuvers and testing and to enter service in early 2024.
An Airbus Beluga plane carrying the Inmarsat-6 F2 satellite landed at Kennedy Space Center on 2023-01-27 after refueling stops in Canada and Virginia.
SpaceX is slated to launch Inmarsat-6 F2 on a Falcon 9 in mid-February toward an orbital slot covering the Americas.
Inmarsat-6 F2 is identical to the Airbus-built Inmarsat-6 F1 satellite that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched in late 2021 toward a geostationary orbit above the Indian Ocean.
The 5,500-kilogram Inmarsat-6 F2 satellite arrived at its Florida launch site after a three-day journey from Airbus’ testing facilities in France.
SpaceX will launch the Inmarsat-6 F2 (I-6 F2) satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2023-01-01.
Inmarsat’s Inmarsat-6 F1 is scheduled to launch in 2020 on a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-2A rocket and Inmarsat-6 F2 is scheduled for launch in 2021 on a to-be-announced launcher, with both satellites sourced from Airbus.