Marisat 3

Marisat 3
Mission type Communications
Operator COMSAT[1]→Inmarsat→Intelsat
COSPAR ID 1976-101A
SATCAT no. 09478
Mission duration 32 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type HS-356
Manufacturer Hughes
Launch mass 665.0 kg (1,466.1 lb)
BOL mass 362 kg (798 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date October 14, 1976, 22:44 (1976-10-14UTC22:44Z) UTC[2]
Rocket Delta 2914
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-17A
End of mission
Deactivated October 29, 2008 (2008-10-30)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geostationary
Longitude 33.9° W
Eccentricity 0.01748[3]
Perigee 35,051 kilometres (21,780 mi)[3]
Apogee 36,525 kilometres (22,696 mi)[3]
Inclination 2.6°[3]
Period 1,436.2 minutes[3]
Epoch February 19, 1976[3]
Transponders
Band 1 L band, 1 C band and 3 UHF
Frequency Uplink: 307.75/254.15 MHz Downlink: 311.15–257.55 MHz

Marisat 3 (or Marisat F3) is a communications satellite operated by COMSAT. Marisat 3 was the second of a series of COMSAT maritime communications satellites.

Satellite

The satellite was operated at orbital position of 176 degrees east from 1976 to 1991. It was transferred to 182° E (178° W) and operated there until 1996. It was transferred to 326.1° E (33.9° W), Over the Atlantic Ocean, and since 1999 has been providing a broadband data link to the US National Antarctic Foundation in Antarctica at the South Pole's Amundsen-Scott research station. The same was transferred to Intelsat in 2004. On Wednesday, October 29, 2008, after 32 years of service, the longest for any commercial satellite to date, was removed from active service. Intelsat engineers used the remaining fuel on board to raise the orbit about 125 miles (200 km) above the geostationary arc and put it into an array orbit.

Launch

Marisat 3 was launched by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 22:44 UTC on October 14, 1976.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "Marisat 1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Marisat 3". NSSDC Master Catalog. Retrieved May 23, 2017.


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