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.[4]
The fourth and last Intelsat II satellite to be launched, Intelsat II F-4 was built by Hughes Aircraft around the HS-303A satellite bus. It carried two transponders, which were powered by body-mounted solar cells generating 85 watts of power.[5] The spacecraft had a mass of 162 kg at launch, decreasing through expenditure of propellant to 86 kg by the beginning of its operational life.
Intelsat II F-4 was launched atop a Delta E1 rocket flying from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch took place at 00:45:00 UTC on September 28, 1967, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit.[2] It fired an SVM-1 apogee motor to place itself into its operational geostationary orbit. The spacecraft was operated at a longitude of 176° east until 1970, before being moved to 166° west. In total the satellite remained in service for around three and a half years.[4]
As of February 8, 2014 the derelict Intelsat II F-4 was in an orbit with a perigee of 35742 km, an apogee of 35886 km, inclination of 6.00 degrees and an orbital period of 23.95 hours.[3]
References
- INTELSAT 2 F-4 National Space Science Data Center, retrieved February 8, 2014^
- Jonathan McDowell. Launch Log Jonathan's Space Page, retrieved February 8, 2014^
- INTELSAT 2-F4 Satellite details 1967-094A NORAD 2969 N2YO, February 8, 2014, retrieved February 8, 2014^
- Mark Wade. Intelsat 2 Encyclopedia Astronautica, retrieved February 8, 2014^
- Gunter Krebs. Intelsat-2 Gunter's Space Page, retrieved February 8, 2014^