Proton Launch Brings In-Flight Broadband Closer

Rockets, and airplanes, and broadband, and blogging...these are a few of my favorite things. This post combines all of them following the successful return-to-flight launch of the Russian Proton rocket after a 5 month complete redesign of the Breeze M upper stage. Launched August 18th from the Baikonur Cosmodrome this particular Proton was boosting into orbit the third and final Inmarsat I-4 communications satellite that will enable in-flight broadband Internet connectivity for commercial airlines through the service SwiftBroadband which is a division of Inmarsat. Andrew Sukawaty, chairman and CEO of Inmarsat said, "The Inmarsat-4s are the world's most sophisticated commercial network for mobile voice and data services, and the successful launch of the third I-4 allows us to complete the global coverage for our broadband services." And its not just the Internet. Air France started test using the voice elements for in-flight cell phone usage back in April. I'm looking forward to the day when PointNiner will be published from 32,000 feet.

[Runway Girl and Space.com]

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