Sunday, June 21, 1998

Tacsat

  1969-013A


The Tactical Communications Satellite (Tacomsat or Tacsat) was launched in Feb 1969. The Hughes-built 721 kg satellite was 7.6m long and 2.8m in diameter, and was the largest geostationary comsat to date. The later Intelsat IV satellites were derived from Tacsat. It was managed by SAMSO and operated by the US Air Force Communications Service. Tacsat was built by Hughes, which designated the bus HS 308. It was stationed at 107W for tests, and then in Jul 1970 moved to the mid-Pacific at 173W-170E. It was retired in 1972.


Tacsat 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1969 Feb 9  2109:00 Launch by Titan IIIC  CK 
  T+0:02:01 SRM sep 
  T+0:02? St 1 burn 
  T+0:04:17 St 1 sep 
  T+0:04:41 Fairing 
  T+0:07:38 Titan Stage 2 MECO   
 2116  T+7:51 Transtage burn 1 17s  
 2116  T+8:08 MECO-1 148 x 175 km x 28.6 
 2215? Transtage MES-2 5:00 
 2217  Equator crossing 
 2220? Transtage MECO-2 
1969 Feb 10  0330? Transtage MES-3 1:40  
  Transtage MECO-3 
 0340?  Transtage sep from Tacsat 
1969 Feb 10  0335   1446.60 35939 x 36044 x 0.6 GEO 94.3W+2.6E 
1969 Feb   Move to 107W 
1969 Mar 25  0000   1436.07 35768 x 35803 x0.9 GEO 107.9W+0.0 
1969 Mar   `Over Galapagos', POR  
1970 Jan 8  1750   GEO 107.3W 
1970 Jun 22    GEO 106.7W 
1970 Jul 22   Move to 173W 1437.30 35779 x 35840 x 0.4 GEO 112.3W+0.3E 
1971 Feb 11   Move to 179W 1436.30 GEO 172.9W+0.06E 
1971 Jun 29    GEO 177.5W+0.15E 
1971 Jul 18    GEO 179.7W+0.0 
1971 Dec 24    GEO 178.6W 
1972 Apr 20    GEO 178.9W 
1972   Move to 170E 
1972 Sep 16    GEO 170.6E 
1972 Dec 4   end of ops
1972 Dec 10    GEO 170.4E 
1974 Nov 17    1435.87 35767 x 35796 x 4.1 GEO 166.6W+0.05W 
1975 Dec 30    GEO 115E (Morgan) 

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