Intelsat 3R (formerly PAS-3R) is a communications satellite serving the Americas market.[2] It is owned by Intelsat and located at 43° West longitude.

Intelsat 3R
NamesPAS-3R
PANAMSAT 3R
IS-3R
Panamsat K4
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorPanAmSat (1996-2006)
Intelsat (2006-2011)
COSPAR ID1996-002A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.23764
Websitehttp://www.intelsat.com
Mission duration15 years (planned)
15 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeBoeimg 601
BusHS-601
ManufacturerHughes
Launch mass2,920 kg (6,440 lb)
Dry mass1,727 kg (3,807 lb)
Power4.3 kW
Start of mission
Launch date12 January 1996, 23:10:00 UTC
RocketAriane 44L H10-3 (V82)
Launch siteCentre Spatial Guyanais, ELA-2
ContractorArianespace
Entered serviceMarch 1996
End of mission
DisposalGraveyard orbit
DeactivatedAugust 2011
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[1]
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude43° West (1996-2010)
81° West (2010-2011)
Transponders
Band40 transponders:
20 C-band
20 Ku-band
Coverage areaAmericas, Caribbean, Europe, Africa
← PAS-4
PAS-5 →

Satellite description

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Hughes Aircraft Corporation constructed the satellite based on the HS-601 satellite bus, having a mass at launch of 2,920 kg (6,440 lb), which decreased to around 1,727 kg (3,807 lb) when it was operational.

The spacecraft had 20 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders.[3] Its two solar panels spanned 26 m (85 ft) and generated 4.7 kW of power when the spacecraft first entered service. The power was expected to drop to around 4.3 kW by the end of the vehicle's operational life, i.e., 15 years.[3]

Launch

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Arianespace launched PAS-3R using an Ariane 4 launch vehicle, flight number V82, in the Ariane 44L H10-3 configuration. The launch occurred on 12 January 1996 at 23:10:00 UTC from ELA-2 at the Centre Spatial Guyanais, at Kourou in French Guiana.[3]

Intelsat 3R

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Intelsat 3R was launched in January 1996 and operated by PanAmSat until it merged with Intelsat in 2006. The spacecraft and the rest of PanAmSat's fleet were renamed on 1 February 2007.[3]

Decommissioning

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Intelsat 3R was removed from geostationary orbit in August 2011 and was placed into graveyard orbit.

References

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  1. ^ "INTELSAT 3R (PAS 3R)". N2YO.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Intelsat 3R". SatBeams. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "PAS 2, 3, 3R, 4 → Intelsat 2, 3R, 4". Gunter's Space Page. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2021.