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 kilograms (357 lb) at launch, decreasing through expenditure of propellant to 86 kilograms (190 lb) 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 35,742 kilometers (22,209 mi), an apogee of 35,886 kilometers (22,299 mi), inclination of 6.00 degrees and an orbital period of 23.95 hours.[3]
References
- ^ a b "INTELSAT 2 F-4". National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
- ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
- ^ a b "INTELSAT 2-F4 Satellite details 1967-094A NORAD 2969". N2YO. February 8, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "Intelsat 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on February 23, 2002. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Intelsat-2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
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