Intelsat VA F-12

Intelsat VA F-12, then named Intelsat 512, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in September 1985, it was the twelfth 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-12 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for Intelsat's global network.

Intelsat VA F-12 → Intelsat 512

Mission type	Communication
Operator	Intelsat
COSPAR ID	1985-087A [1]
SATCAT no.	16101
Mission duration	7 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Bus	Intelsat VA
Manufacturer	Ford Aerospace
Launch mass	1981 kg
Dry mass	1098 kg
Dimensions	1.66 x 2.1 x 1.77 metres
Power	1800 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	29 September 1985, 23:36:00 UTC [2]
Rocket	Atlas G-Centaur D1AR (AC-65)
Launch site	CCAFS, LC-36B
Contractor	General Dynamics
End of mission
Disposal	Graveyard orbit
Deactivated	July 1998
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit[1]
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Longitude	34.5° West (1985-1991) [3] 1.0° West (1991-1994) 21.5° West (1994-1996) 55.5° West (1996-1998)
Epoch	29 September 1985
Transponders
Band	26 C-band 6 Ku-band
Intelsat V ← Intelsat VA F-11 Intelsat VA F-13 →

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 26 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.^[4]

Launch

The satellite was successfully launched into space on 29 September 1985, at 23:36:00 UTC, by means of an Atlas G-Centaur D1AR vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, United States. It had a launch mass of 1981 kg.^[3] The satellite was deactivated in July 1998.^[3]