Thursday, June 10, 1999

Intelsat 303

  1969-011A


The Intelsat III F-3 satellite was launched in Feb 1969 and became the Pacific satellite. However only a few months later one of two tunnel diode amplifiers malfunctioned, and the satellite was replaced as Pacific primary by the newly launched Intelsat III F-4. It was then moved to become Intelsat's first Indian Ocean region satellite. It was to remain over the Indian Ocean for a decade until it was finally decommissioned in Dec 1979.


Intelsat III F-3 
 

DateTimeEventOrbit  

1969 Feb 6  0039:00 Launch by Delta M  CK LC17A 
  T+0:39 SRM 1-3 burnout 
  T+1:05 Castor sep 
 0042:38 T+3:38 MECO, 130 km 
 0042:38? St 1 sep 
 0042:45 T+3:45 SES 6:18 
 0043:00 T+4:00 Fairing 
 0049:03 T+10:03 SECO 
  Coast 9:52? 
  Stage 2 apogee 374 km  -484? x 374 x 32.7? 
   -504? x 375 x 32.5? 
 0058:40 T+19:40 St 2 sep 
 0058:54 T+19:54 Star 37D burn 41s at 278 km  
 0059:38 TECO  671.91 253 x 37813 x 29.8 
   638.0 265 x 36097 x 28.89  
 0101:20 T+22:20 Star 37D sep 
 0101:21  Yo weight sep 
 0630?  Apo 1 68E (short orbit) 
 0700? First apogee over 63E 
 1700?  Apo 2 90W (short orbit) 
 1800? Second apogee over 103W 
1969 Feb 7  0400?  Apo 3 107E (short orbit) 
1969 Feb 7  0500? Third apo over 88E 
 1400?  Apo 4 48W (short orbit) 
 1600? Apo 4 over 80W 
1969 Feb 8  0100? Apo 5 over 150E (short orbit) 
1969 Feb 8  0030? SVM-2 burn  
1969 Feb 8  0330? Apo 5 over 110E 
1969 Feb   POR satellite  GEO 174E 
1969 Feb 21   R/B orbit  236 x 36205 x 29.6  
1969 Mar 17    1436.46 35779 x 35808 x 1.3 GEO 174.39E+0.00 
1969 May?   Environmental control system issues 
1969 Jun 1  Replaced by III F4 in POR 
1969 Jun 2   At GEO 172.3E 
1969 Jun 3   Enter drift 5 deg/d to move to IOR 
1969 Jun 24?  IOR satellite  GEO 62.5E 
1969 Dec 1    1436.28 35777 x 35802 x 0.7 GEO 62.8E 
1971 May 25    1436.14 35783 x 35791 x 0.8 GEO 61.3E 
1975   IOR backup 
1975 Dec    GEO 56.5E (Morgan) 
1976 Sep   Replaced by IV F-1 
1977 Feb 24    1436.08 35777 x 35795 x 4.6 GEO 56.8E 
1977 May 20    GEO 56.0E+0.1E 
1977 Aug 4    GEO 54.8E 
1978 Sep   IOR contingency GEO 57.0E 
1979 Feb 1    GEO 60.0E 
1979 Feb 22   Drift east to 66E 
1979 Mar 28    GEO 66.0E 
1979 May 24    GEO 66.8E 
1979 Dec   GEO 66E 
1979 Dec 13  1400  Orbit raised  1674 
1979 Dec 14  0200  Decommissioned  
1980    1674.5 39735 x 40937 x 6.4 

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