Intelsat V F-2

Intelsat V F-2, then named Intelsat 502, was a communications satellite operated by COMSAT. Launched in 1980, it was the first of fifteen Intelsat V satellites to be launched. The Intelsat V series was constructed by Ford Aerospace, based on the Intelsat V satellite bus. Intelsat V F-2 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for INTELSAT's global network.

Intelsat V F-2 → Intelsat 502

Mission type	Communication
Operator	COMSAT / Intelsat
COSPAR ID	1980-098A [1]
SATCAT no.	12089
Mission duration	7 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Bus	Intelsat V
Manufacturer	Ford Aerospace
Launch mass	1928 kg
Dry mass	1012 kg
Dimensions	1.66 x 2.1 x 1.77 metres
Start of mission
Launch date	6 December 1980, 23:31:00 UTC
Rocket	Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR (AC-54)
Launch site	CCAFS, LC-36B
Contractor	General Dynamics
Entered service	1800 watts
End of mission
Disposal	Graveyard orbit
Deactivated	14 April 1998
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Longitude	21.5° West (1980-1994) 40.5° West (1994-1998)
Epoch	6 December 1980
Transponders
Band	21 C-band 4 Ku-band
Intelsat V ← Intelsat IVA F-6 Intelsat V F-1 →

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 an eclipse, provided 1800 watts of power at mission onset of its seven-year design life. The payload housed 21 C-band and 4 Ku-band transponders. It could accommodate 15,000 two-way voice circuits and two TV channels simultaneously. It had a launch mass of 1928 kg.^[2] In December 1992, the satellite enabled a direct link between United States and the Somalia. The satellite was deactivated on 14 April 1998.^[3]

Launch

The satellite was successfully launched into space on 6 December 1980, at 23:31:00 UTC, by means of an Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, United States.