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Intelsat III F-3

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.[4]

The third of eight Intelsat III satellites to be launched, Intelsat III F-3 was built by TRW. It was a 293 kg spacecraft, with its mass reducing to 151 kg 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.[5] It was designed for 5 years of service life.[6]

The launch of Intelsat III F-3 made use of a Delta M rocket flying from Launch Complex 17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch, which was conducted by NASA, took place at 00:39:00 UTC on February 6, 1969, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit.[1] Shortly after launch, Intelsat III F-3 fired its apogee motor to achieve geostationary orbit.

Intended to be operated over the Pacific Ocean at a longitude of 174° east, Intelsat III F-3 was moved to the less important Indian Ocean slot at 63° east after only three months in orbit due to concerns regarding its reliability. The satellite was only regarded as partially operable; however, it remained in service until April 1979, before being decommissioned in December of that year.[7][8]

At the end of its service life, Intelsat III F-3 was raised into a higher orbit to reduce the probability of it colliding with an operational spacecraft. As of February 3, 2014 it remains in orbit, with a perigee of 39935 km, an apogee of 41521 km, inclination of 18.63 degrees and an orbital period of 28.25 hours.[3]

See also

  • Deh Mandro

References

  1. Jonathan McDowell. Launch Log Jonathan's Space Page, retrieved February 9, 2014^
  2. INTELSAT 3 F-3 National Space Science Data Center, retrieved February 9, 2014^
  3. INTELSAT 3-F3 Satellite details 1969-011A NORAD 03674 N2YO, January 23, 2015, retrieved January 25, 2015^
  4. Intelsat 3 Quicklook Mission and Spacecraft Library, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, retrieved February 9, 2014^
  5. Mark Wade. Intelsat 3 Encyclopedia Astronautica, retrieved February 9, 2014^
  6. Gunter Krebs. Intelsat-3 Gunter's Space Page, retrieved February 9, 2014^
  7. Jonathan McDowell. Geostationary Satellite Log Jonathan's Space Page, retrieved February 9, 2014^
  8. Chronology of Intelsat Development and Operations, 1969-1978 NASA Historical Data Book, NASA History Office, retrieved February 9, 2014^