Edinburgh, 2 August 2021. – Another mega-constellation: Inmarsat wants to build a network of geosynchronous (GEO) and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and combine it with a terrestrial 5G infrastructure, the company said.
Inmarsat is planning a new LEO constellation of 150-175 satellites, the ground segment and the integration with its GX and L-band GEO satellites to provide global coverage, the satellite operator said.
The constellation will be called Orchestra. The five-year investment in Orchestra is expected to be around € 84.25 million, Inmarsat said.
With its new mega-constellation, Inmarsat wants to stay focused on its key markets, maritime and mobility, and not move into end consumer broadband, like Starlink or Onweb.
New services include close-shore navigation for autonomous vessels, next-generation emergency safety services for maritime crews, secure and tactical private networks for governments and direct-to-cloud connections for airlines, Inmarsat said.
New segments set to benefit from Orchestra include energy rigs and drilling platforms, mid-market business aircraft, coastal vessels, smart passenger ships and urban air mobility, the company added.
