Intelsat II was a series of four
communications satellites operated by
Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (formerly INTEL-SAT, INTELSAT, Intelsat) is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as In ...
which were launched in 1966 and 1967. Built by the
Hughes Aircraft Company
The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes in Glendale, California, as a division of Hughes Tool Company. The company was known for producing, among other produ ...
, the Intelsat II series was a follow-up to the
Intelsat I series, of which only one satellite was launched.
Intelsat II spacecraft were based on the
HS-303A HS3 or HS-3 may refer to: Transport
* Curtiss HS-3, a patrol flying boat built for the United States Navy during World War I
* Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron 3, a United States Navy unit renamed to HSC-9 in 2009 (Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron ...
satellite bus, which was cylindrical in shape and
spin-stabilised. The satellites had a diameter of , and were long. They were equipped with an
SVM-1 apogee motor to circularise their orbits following launch atop
Delta E1 carrier rockets. All four satellites were launched from
Launch Complex 17B at the
Cape Kennedy Air Station. Each satellite had a mass at launch of , which decreased to around once the satellite had fired its apogee motor and manoeuvred into its orbital position.
Intelsat II spacecraft were designed to be operated in
geostationary orbit
A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...
; however the first satellite's apogee motor malfunctioned leaving it in a lower than planned orbit. It was able to perform a limited communications mission, however the other three spacecraft successfully achieved geostationary orbit. Each satellite carried two
transponders, powered by
solar cells mounted on the body of the spacecraft, which generated 85 watts of power.
Operations
Intelsat II F-1 provided a transpacific communications link for 240 telephone channels or two television channels. Provision was made for 180 hours of telecasting per year (an average of 30 minutes per day) via the satellite.
A 50-minute programme was relayed between
Tokyo and
Washington, D.C. via Intelsat II F-1 on 27 January 1967. It was the first newscast and the first colour programme to be telecast across the Pacific. Japan's
Fuji Television used the satellite to present direct telecasts of the world
featherweight boxing title match between
Vicente Saldivar and
Mitsunori Seki from
Mexico City on 29 January.
It was the first live transmission of a sport event across the Pacific. ''
Stars and Stripes'' reported that the pictures were clear.
Satellites
References
{{Intelsat
Intelsat satellites
Intelsat 02