Intelsat V F-3

Intelsat V F-3, then named Intelsat 503, was a communications satellite operated by COMSAT. Launched on 15 December 1981, it was the third 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-3 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for Intelsat's global network.

Intelsat V F-3 → Intelsat 503

Mission type	Communication
Operator	COMSAT / INTELSAT
COSPAR ID	1981-119A [1]
SATCAT no.	12994
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
Power	1800 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	15 December 1981, 23:35:00 UTC
Rocket	Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR (AC-55)
Launch site	CCAFS, LC-36B
Contractor	General Dynamics
End of mission
Disposal	Graveyard orbit
Deactivated	January 1998
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Longitude	174.0° East (1981-1992) 177.0° West (1992-1995) 157.0° East (1995-1998)
Epoch	15 December 1981
Transponders
Band	21 C-band 4 Ku-band
Intelsat V ← Intelsat V F-1 Intelsat V F-4 →

Launch of Intelsat V F-3

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. 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] The satellite was deactivated in January 1998.

Launch

The satellite was successfully launched into space on 15 December 1981 at 23:35:00 UTC, by means of an Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, United States.

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• 1981 in spaceflight