Inmarsat, a British GEO operator being bought by Viasat, has ordered three GEO satellites from newspace entity Swissto12. These units will be based on the Swissto12 HummingSat GEO bus and will be much smaller than previous Inmarsat satellites.
The deal, announced on 19 May, should see the three satellites, to be known as Inmarsat-8, delivered during 2026. These satellites will provide a continuity of service for the company’s global L-band product from the recently launched Inmarsat-6 two-unit series.
A still from a promotional video showing a graphic of a Inmarsat-8 satellite in-orbit. Courtesy: Inmarsat
