Intelsat III F-2

Last updated

Intelsat III F-2
Mission type Communications
Operator COMSAT for Intelsat
COSPAR ID 1968-116A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 03623
Mission duration5 years (planned)
1+1⁄2 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Intelsat III
Bus Intelsat
Manufacturer TRW
Launch mass293 kg
Dry mass151 kg
Power183 watts
Start of mission
Launch date19 December 1968,
00:32:00 GMT [1]
Rocket Delta M
Launch site Cape Canaveral, LC-17A
Contractor NASA
End of mission
DeactivatedMid-1971
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime Geostationary orbit
(Now supersynchronous)
Longitude24.0° West
Transponders
Capacity2 transponders
Coverage areaGlobal
 

Intelsat III F-2 was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1968 it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 24 degrees west for around eighteen months. [2]

Contents

Spacecraft

The second of eight Intelsat III satellites to be launched, Intelsat III F-2 was built by TRW. It was a 293 kg (646 lb) spacecraft, with its mass reducing to 151 kg (333 lb) by entry into service as it burned propellant to reach its final orbit. The satellite carried an SVM-2 apogee motor for propulsion and was equipped with two transponders powered by body-mounted solar cells generating 183 watts of power. [2] It was designed for a five-year service life. [3]

Launch

The launch of Intelsat III F-2 made use of a Delta M rocket flying from Launch Complex 17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch took place at 00:32 GMT on 19 December 1968, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit. [1] Intelsat III F-2 subsequently fired its apogee motor to achieve geostationary orbit. It was operated at a longitude of 24° west, over Brazil; however it ceased operations after only a year and a half in orbit, in mid-1971. [4]

Orbit

Intelsat III F-2 remains in a graveyard orbit as an orbital debris. As of 7 February 2014, it was in an orbit with a perigee of 38,438 km (23,884 mi), an apogee of 39,317 km (24,430 mi), inclination of 13.73° and an orbital period of 26.60 hours. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Intelsat 2, formerly PAS-2, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat which spent most of its operational life serving the Pacific Rim market from a longitude of 169° East. Launched in July 1994, the satellite was operated by PanAmSat until it merged with Intelsat in 2006. The spacecraft was renamed, along with the rest of PanAmSat's fleet, on 1 February 2007.

Intelsat 603 Geostationary communications satellite

Intelsat 603 or IS-603, previously named Intelsat VI F-3, is a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1990, it was the second of five Intelsat VI satellites to be launched. The Intelsat VI series was constructed by Hughes Aircraft, based on the HS-389 satellite bus.

Orion 3 was an American spacecraft which was intended for use by Orion Network Systems, as a geostationary communications satellite. It was to have been positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 139° East, from where it was to have provided communications services to Asia and Oceania. Due to a malfunction during launch, it was instead delivered to a useless low Earth orbit.

Galaxy 11 is an American geostationary communications satellite which is operated by Intelsat. It is located in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 32.8 degrees east, where it serves as a backup to the Intelsat 802 spacecraft. It was originally operated at 99° West and later spent most of its operational life at 91° West, from where it was used to provide communications services to Brazil and North America.

Intelsat 604, previously named Intelsat VI F-4, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1990, it was the third of five Intelsat VI satellites to be launched. The Intelsat VI series was constructed by Hughes Aircraft, based on the HS-389 satellite bus.

Intelsat 605, previously named Intelsat VI F-5, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1991, it was the fourth of five Intelsat VI satellites to be launched. The Intelsat VI series was constructed by Hughes Aircraft, based on the HS-389 satellite bus.

Intelsat II F-1 Communications satellite

Intelsat II F-1, also known as Blue Bird was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1966 it was intended for operations in geostationary orbit over the Pacific Ocean to provide a communications link between Australia and the United States, however a malfunction prevented the satellite from reaching its planned orbit.

Intelsat II F-2, also known as Lani Bird, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1967, it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 174 degrees east until 1969.

Intelsat II F-3, also known as Canary Bird was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1967 it was operated in geostationary orbit, spending most of its operational life at a longitude of 15 degrees west.

Intelsat II F-4 was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1967 it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 176 degrees east and later 166 degrees west.

Intelsat III F-1 was a communications satellite intended to be operated by Intelsat. Launched towards geostationary orbit in 1968 it failed to achieve orbit.

Intelsat III F-3 was a geostationary communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1969 it was intended for operations over the Pacific Ocean; however, it spent most of its service life over the Indian Ocean at a longitude of 63 degrees east.

Intelsat III F-5 was a communications satellite intended to be operated by Intelsat. Launched towards geostationary orbit in 1969 it failed to achieve orbit.

Intelsat III F-6 was a communications satellite owned by Intelsat. The satellite had an estimated useful life of 5 years.

Intelsat III F-8 was a communications satellite owned by Intelsat. The satellite had an estimated useful life of 5 years.

Eutelsat 8 West B is a geostationary communications satellite. Operated by Eutelsat, it provides direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting services from geostationary orbit. The satellite is part of Eutelsat's constellation at a longitude of 13° East. Eutelsat announced the order of a new Spacebus-4000C3 satellite bus from Thales Alenia Space in October 2012.

Intelsat 802 was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1997 it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 174 degrees west for around fourteen years.

NSS-5 is a communications satellite operated by Intelsat and after by SES World Skies. Launched in 1997 it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 50.5 degrees east for around 14 years.

Intelsat 804 was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1997 it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 44 degrees east for around 8 years.

Eutelsat 12 West B, known as Atlantic Bird 2 prior to 2012 and Eutelsat 8 West A from 2012 to 2015, was a geostationary communications satellite. Operated by Eutelsat, it provides direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting services from geostationary orbit. The satellite is part of Eutelsat constellation at a longitude of 8° West, then 12.5° West. Eutelsat announced the order of a new Spacebus-3000B2 satellite bus from Alcatel Space in October 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 Wade, Mark. "Intelsat 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 23 February 2002. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  3. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Intelsat-3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "Intelsat 3 Quicklook". Mission and Spacecraft Library. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 9 February 2014.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. ↑ "INTELSAT 3-F2 Satellite details 1968-116A NORAD 3623". N2YO. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.