Inmarsat-4 F3 is a communications I-4 satellite operated by the British satellite operator Inmarsat. It was launched into a geosynchronous orbit at 22:43 GMT on 18 August 2008,[1] by a Proton-M/Briz-M Enhanced carrier rocket. It is currently located at 97.65° West longitude, providing coverage of the Americas.[2] It entered service on 7 January 2009.
Like the earlier Inmarsat-4 F1 and F2 satellites, Inmarsat-4 F3 was constructed by EADS Astrium, using a Eurostar E3000 bus. It has a mass of 5,960 kilograms, and is expected to operate for 13 years.[3] It was originally slated for launch using an Atlas V 531, but was transferred to Proton due to a large backlog of Atlas launches.
In the United States, Inmarsat ground stations are licensed to operate at 1525-1559 MHz and 1626.5-1660.5 MHz.