Engineering:Intelsat VA F-12

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Short description: Communications satellite
Intelsat VA F-12 → Intelsat 512
Mission typeCommunication
OperatorIntelsat
COSPAR ID1985-087A [1]
SATCAT no.16101
Mission duration7 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
BusIntelsat VA
ManufacturerFord Aerospace
Launch mass1981 kg
Dry mass1098 kg
Dimensions1.66 x 2.1 x 1.77 metres
Power1800 watts
Start of mission
Launch date29 September 1985,
23:36:00 UTC [2]
RocketAtlas G-Centaur D1AR (AC-65)
Launch siteCape Canaveral Air Force Station , LC-36B
ContractorGeneral Dynamics
End of mission
DisposalGraveyard orbit
DeactivatedJuly 1998
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[1]
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude34.5° West (1985-1991) [3]
1.0° West (1991-1994)
21.5° West (1994-1996)
55.5° West (1996-1998)
Epoch29 September 1985
Transponders
Band26 C-band
6 Ku-band
Intelsat V
 

Intelsat VA F-12, then named Intelsat 512, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in September 1985, it was the twelfth of fifteen Intelsat V satellites to be launched. The Intelsat V series was constructed by Ford Aerospace, based on the Intelsat VA satellite bus. Intelsat VA F-12 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for Intelsat's global network.

Satellite

The satellite was box-shaped, measuring 1.66 by 2.1 by 1.77 metres; solar arrays spanned 15.9 metres tip to tip. The arrays, supplemented by nickel-hydrogen batteries during eclipse, provided 1800 watts of power at mission onset, approximately 1280 watts at the end of its seven-year design life. The payload housed 26 C-band and 6 Ku-band transponders. It could accommodate 15,000 two-way voice circuits and two TV channels simultaneously. It also provided maritime communications for ships at sea.[4]

Launch

The satellite was successfully launched into space on 29 September 1985, at 23:36:00 UTC, by means of an Atlas G-Centaur D1AR vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station , Florida, United States . It had a launch mass of 1981 kg.[3] The satellite was deactivated in July 1998.[3]

References