Inmarsat to be first commercial customer for the new H3 launch vehicle provided by MHI

The H3 will start commercial launch services in 2022

London/Tokyo, December 6, 2018 - Inmarsat (LON: ISAT), the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, has today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) to be the first commercial customer to place an order for the new H3 launch vehicle. The maiden flight of H3 is scheduled for 2020 with Inmarsat planning to deploy the new launch vehicle after 2022.

This is the second agreement entered by Inmarsat and MHI, following the launch services contract awarded to MHI's H-IIA Launch Vehicle in 2017. These agreements underline the growing partnership between the two companies in the area of launch services.

Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, said: 'Inmarsat is the world leader in global mobile satellite communications; a position we have achieved by building an exceptional ecosystem of partners. As our company grows - expanding into new markets and opening up new opportunities for our customers to develop their businesses - we continually seek new technology partners that display an outstanding commitment to innovation and excellence.

'It was for these reasons that in 2017 we selected MHI as a launch partner and why today we are delighted to be announcing that Inmarsat is the first commercial customer to select MHI's new H3 launch vehicle. We believe that H3 represents a world-class innovation and one that will deliver an effective and efficient service to place future Inmarsat satellites into orbit.'

'Today, development of the H3 Launch Vehicle is proceeding steadily forward under the leadership of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with MHI serving as primary contractor working closely with key component manufacturers,' said Masahiro Atsumi, Vice President & Senior General Manager for Space Systems at MHI. 'We greatly appreciate the high evaluation made by Inmarsat during this development phase and, working closely with JAXA and government agencies, we will do everything possible to ensure that development results in a new flagship launch vehicle fully meeting the customer's high expectations.'

Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Business said: 'Science and innovation have no borders, as long-term strategic partnerships like this one built on excellence between Inmarsat in the UK and Mitsubishi in Japan demonstrate.

'The space sector is a UK success story and an industry that is growing globally, a year since the launch of our modern industrial strategy, we continue to build on our commitment to space, including through the announcement of the UK's first spaceports and record investment in our world leading science base.'

MHI Launch Services enjoys an extremely high success rate of 97.9% and has provided 41 successful consecutive launches since 2005, delivered on-time and to the customer's satisfaction by current launch vehicle both H-IIA and H-IIB.

The agreement with Inmarsat reflects MHI's long-term commitment to supporting a wide range of customers in the space industry. MHI will continue to support the development of the space industry, and will seek further new opportunities in this field both in Japan and globally.

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About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the world's leading industrial firms with 80,000 group employees and annual consolidated revenues of around 38 billion U.S. dollars. For more than 130 years, the company has channeled big thinking into innovative and integrated solutions that move the world forward. MHI owns a unique business portfolio covering land, sea, sky and even space. MHI delivers innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries from commercial aviation and transportation to power plants and gas turbines, and from machinery and infrastructure to integrated defense and space systems.

For more information, please visit MHI's website: www.mhi-global.com
For Technology, Trends and Tangents, visit MHI's new online media SPECTRA: spectra.mhi.com

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat is the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications. It owns and operates the world's best global portfolio of satellite networks, specifically designed for customer mobility, and holds a multi-layered, global spectrum portfolio, covering L-band, Ka-band and S-band, enabling unparalleled breadth and diversity in the solutions it provides. Inmarsat's long established global distribution network includes not only the world's leading channel partners but also its own strong direct retail capabilities, enabling end to end customer service assurance. The company has an unrivalled track record of operating the world's most reliable global mobile satellite networks, sustaining business and mission critical safety & operational applications for almost 40 years. It is also a major driving force behind technological innovation in mobile satellite communications, sustaining its leadership through a substantial investment and a powerful network of technology and manufacturing partners. Inmarsat operates across a diversified portfolio of sectors with the financial resources to fund its business strategy and holds leading positions in the Maritime, Government and Aviation satcoms markets, operating consistently as a trusted, responsive and high quality partner to its customers across the globe.

For further information, visit Inmarsat.com or follow us on LinkedIn or on Twitter @InmarsatGlobal.

Press Contacts

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Corporate Communications Department
Email: mediacontact-global@mhi.co.jp
Tel: +81-(0)3-6716-2168
Fax: +81-(0)3-6716-5860
Inmarsat
Corporate Communications,
Email: press@inmarsat.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7728 1935/1492

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Inmarsat plc published this content on 06 December 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 06 December 2018 09:11:04 UTC