Loss of Inmarsat-6 F2 (2023)
A telecommunications satellite lost in 2023 during orbit raising after a power failure, the subject of a 348-million-dollar total loss claim.
A geostationary satellite launched with electric propulsion takes several months to reach its orbit, and during that climb it is already covered by the launch policy without yet being in service. A failure in this phase is therefore paid like a launch failure, even though the launch vehicle worked perfectly. The Inmarsat-6 F2 case struck an already fragile market: the same year, other large satellites suffered anomalies, and claims exceeded the whole year's premiums for a line that collects a few hundred million dollars a year. It illustrates the line's concentration, where a single satellite can absorb more than a year of premiums, and underwriters' dependence on the manufacturer's technical investigation.
Launched by SpaceX on February 18, 2023, Inmarsat-6 F2 suffered a power subsystem anomaly and a permanent battery failure during orbit raising; the 348-million-dollar total loss claim was filed on behalf of Viasat, which had just acquired Inmarsat.
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