Marisat 3

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Marisat 3
Mission type Communications
Operator COMSAT [1] →Inmarsat→Intelsat
COSPAR ID 1976-101A
SATCAT no. 09478
Mission duration 32 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type HS-356
Manufacturer Hughes
Launch mass 665.0 kg (1,466.1 lb)
BOL mass 362 kg (798 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date October 14, 1976, 22:44 (1976-10-14UTC22:44Z) UTC [2]
Rocket Delta 2914
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-17A
End of mission
DeactivatedOctober 29, 2008 (2008-10-30)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geostationary
Longitude 33.9° W
Eccentricity 0.01748 [3]
Perigee 35,051 kilometres (21,780 mi) [3]
Apogee 36,525 kilometres (22,696 mi) [3]
Inclination 2.6° [3]
Period 1,436.2 minutes [3]
Epoch February 19, 1976 [3]
Transponders
Band 1 L band, 1 C band and 3 UHF
FrequencyUplink: 307.75/254.15 MHz Downlink: 311.15–257.55 MHz
←  Marisat 2
None →

Marisat 3 (or Marisat F3) is a communications satellite operated by COMSAT. Marisat 3 was the second of a series of COMSAT maritime communications satellites.

Communications satellite artificial satellite designed for telecommunications

A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunications signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. Communications satellites are used for television, telephone, radio, internet, and military applications. There are 2,134 communications satellites in Earth’s orbit, used by both private and government organizations. Many are in geostationary orbit 22,200 miles (35,700 km) above the equator, so that the satellite appears stationary at the same point in the sky, so the satellite dish antennas of ground stations can be aimed permanently at that spot and do not have to move to track it.

COMSAT was a global telecommunications company, based in the United States from 1963–2007.

Satellite Human-made object put into an orbit

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an artificial object which has been intentionally placed into orbit. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as Earth's Moon.

Contents

Satellite

The satellite was operated at orbital position of 176 degrees east from 1976 to 1991. It was transferred to 182° E (178° W) and operated there until 1996. It was transferred to 326.1° E (33.9° W), Over the Atlantic Ocean, and since 1999 has been providing a broadband data link to the U.S. National Antarctic Foundation in Antarctica at the South Pole's Amundsen-Scott research station. The same was transferred to Intelsat in 2004. On Wednesday, October 29, 2008, after 32 years of service, the longest for any commercial satellite to date, was removed from active service. Intelsat engineers used the remaining fuel on board to raise the orbit about 125 miles (200 km) above the geostationary arc and put it into an array orbit.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Antarctica Polar continent in the Earths southern hemisphere

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent. It contains the geographic South Pole and is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14,200,000 square kilometres, it is the fifth-largest continent. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages 1.9 km in thickness, which extends to all but the northernmost reaches of the Antarctic Peninsula.

South Pole Southern point where the Earths axis of rotation intersects its surface

The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of Earth and lies on the opposite side of Earth from the North Pole.

Launch

Marisat 3 was launched by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 22:44 UTC on October 14, 1976. [3]

Delta (rocket family) rocket family

Delta is an American versatile family of expendable launch systems that has provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960. There have been more than 300 Delta rockets launched, with a 95% success rate. Only the Delta IV remains in use as of 2019. Delta rockets are currently manufactured and launched by the United Launch Alliance.

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station spaceport on Cape Canaveral, USA

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing.

Florida State of the United States of America

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Marisat 1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Marisat 3". NSSDC Master Catalog. Retrieved May 23, 2017.


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