The Inmarsat-2 F1 which was launched off aboard a McDonnell Douglas Delta rocket on Oct 30th 1990, was only supposed to be in orbit for a decade however the life of the satellite has extended into its third decade of service.
The F1 which was designed and built out by the British Aerospace and Hughes (US) was one of 4 Inmarsat Satellites launched in the nineties to provide world telecommunications solutions.
The sole purpose of the F1 was to serve the maritime market specifically the shipping sector coverage millions of miles of territory at the time. Inmarsat’s chief technology officer and program manager of the Inmarsat 2 Gene Jilg, says he is not surprised at the life cycle of the satellite.
“The Inmarsat-2 design was robust, the contractors were diligent and competent, and Inmarsat carefully monitored the program. The satellites have stood the test of time,” he said.
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