Summary
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.
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | Intelsat |
| COSPAR ID | 1969-064A |
| SATCAT no. | 04051 |
| Mission duration | 5 years planned Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | TRW |
| Launch mass | 293 kilograms (646 lb) |
| BOL mass | 151 kilograms (333 lb) |
| Power | 183 W |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | July 26, 1969, 02:06 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Delta M |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | October 14, 1988 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.07326 |
| Perigee altitude | 252 kilometers (157 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,301 kilometers (808 mi) |
| Inclination | 30.3° |
| Period | 115.3 minutes |
| Epoch | July 26, 1969 |
Intelsat III | |
Design edit
The fifth of eight Intelsat III satellites to be launched, Intelsat III F-5 was built by TRW. It was a 293-kilogram (646 lb) spacecraft equipped with two transponders to be powered by body-mounted solar cells generating 183 watts of power.[2] It had a design life of five years and carried an SVM-2 apogee motor for propulsion.[3]
Launch edit
Intelsat III F-5 was launched by a Delta M rocket, flying from Launch Complex 17A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch took place on July 26, 1969, with the spacecraft bound for a geosynchronous transfer orbit.[1]
Due to a failure in the third phase of the launch process, the satellite did not reach the desired orbit.
