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.

Intelsat III F-5
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorIntelsat
COSPAR ID1969-064A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.04051
Mission duration5 years planned
Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerTRW
Launch mass293 kilograms (646 lb)
BOL mass151 kilograms (333 lb)
Power183 W
Start of mission
Launch dateJuly 26, 1969, 02:06 (1969-07-26UTC02:06Z) UTC[1]
RocketDelta M
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-17A
End of mission
DeactivatedOctober 14, 1988 (1988-10-15)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Eccentricity0.07326
Perigee altitude252 kilometers (157 mi)
Apogee altitude1,301 kilometers (808 mi)
Inclination30.3°
Period115.3 minutes
EpochJuly 26, 1969
Intelsat III

Design

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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

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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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  2. ^ Wade, Mark. "Intelsat 3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on February 23, 2002. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Intelsat-3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved April 21, 2017.