International Launch Services announced the successful launch of the Inmarsat-5 F3 (I-5 F3) satellite aboard a Proton Breeze M rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The I-5 F3 is the third of Inmarsat's Global Xpress satellites and will cover the Pacific Ocean as part of the global mobile broadband service. After a 15-hour, 31-minute mission, the satellite built by Boeing was placed into the target orbit by the Proton launcher. The I-5 F3 satellite has 89 Ka-band fixed beams and six steerable ones. Following the launch of I-5 F3, Inmarsat expects to commence global commercial GX services by the end of the year.
