FIRST INMARSAT 3 GOES INTO SERVICE

The first of five Inmarsat 3 satellites entered commercial service on schedule Saturday, May 11. The satellite–eight times more powerful than its predecessor–will serve the Indian Ocean Region from the 65 degrees E slot. The satellite has taken over the region’s Inmarsat 2 traffic; the 2-series bird is now a spare and has been relocated to 64 degrees E. The time period from launch on April 3 to commercial service was only 37 days, Inmarsat said. The second Inmarsat 3 satellite still is scheduled for an August launch aboard a Proton rocket, Inmarsat said. (Inmarsat, Phone: 011/44 171/728-1773.)