Inmarsat picks Astrium for Alphasat I-XL.

Inmarsat has awarded a contract to Astrium for the Alphasat I-XL satellite to augment its Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service. Alphasat will be one of the world's largest telecommunications satellites, and Inmarsat expects its investment in the satellite--excluding insurance--will be in the region of 260 million [euro]. The Alphasat contract is supported by ESA and national space agencies. Astrium is prime contractor for the satellite, which will incorporate a number of innovative features developed throughout Europe.

Alphasat I-XL will support a new generation of mobile technologies and enable communications across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Alphasat will provide increased capacity, with the ability to handle more than 750 channels in L band with improved quality particularly for satellite phone users.

The I-XL will, through increased efficiency of spectrum use, enable:

* robust communications in crisis and disaster emergencies;

* potential connection of houses, schools and businesses in remote locations, via Inmarsat BGAN portable data terminals;

* connections between governments and dispersed populations;

* essential voice and data communications for a wide range of industry sectors such as media, maritime, oil and gas.

In addition to the Inmarsat geomobile mission, Alphasat payload capacity will be used to support the development of three Technology Demonstration Payloads (TDPs) selected by ESA for flight on Alphasat. The Alphasat satellite will utilise the protoflight model of the Alphabus platform, currently under development by the European satellite industry.