Intelsat VA F-15

Intelsat VA F-15 or Intelsat 515, then named Columbia 515, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat and which was later sold to Columbia Communications Corporation. Launched in 1989, it was the fifteenth 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-15 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for Intelsat's global network, from an orbital station at 60.0° East.

Intelsat VA F-15 → Columbia 515
Mission typeCommunication
OperatorIntelsat / Columbia Communications Corporation
COSPAR ID1989-006A [1]
SATCAT no.19772
Mission duration7 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
BusIntelsat VA
ManufacturerFord Aerospace
Launch mass1981 kg
Dry mass1098 kg [2]
Dimensions1.66 x 2.1 x 1.77 metres
Power1800 watts
Start of mission
Launch date27 January 1989,
01:21:00 UTC[3]
RocketAriane 2 V28
Launch siteKourou, ELA-1
ContractorAérospatiale
End of mission
DisposalGraveyard orbit
DeactivatedNovember 2002
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude60.0° East (1989-1992),
18.0° West (1992-1996),
21.5° West (1996-1998),
37.8° West (1998-2002)
Epoch27 January 1989
Transponders
Band29 C-band
6 Ku-band
Intelsat V
 

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 29 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.[1]

Launch

The satellite was successfully launched into space on 27 January 1989, at 01:21:00 UTC, by means of an Ariane 2 vehicle from the Crentre Spatial Guyanais, Kourou, French Guiana. It had a launch mass of 1981 kg.[4]

Columbia 515

From 1 April 1998, the satellite is used by Columbia Communications Corporation and renamed Columbia 515. The Ku-band payload will not be used anymore. Columbia Communications was granted by FCC to operate a C-Band satellite as a replacement at this location, 37.8° West. The satellite was deactivated in November 2002.

References
  1. "Display: Intelsat 5A F-15 1989-086A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "Intelsat 5A". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  4. "INTELSAT 515". TSE. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.