Intelsat II F-2

Intelsat II F-2
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorIntelsat
COSPAR ID1967-001A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.2639
Mission duration3 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeIntelsat II
BusHS-303A
ManufacturerHughes
Launch mass162 kilograms (357 lb)
BOL mass86 kilograms (190 lb)
Power85 watts
Start of mission
Launch dateJanuary 11, 1967, 10:55:00 (1967-01-11UTC10:55Z) UTC[1]
RocketDelta E1
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-17B
End of mission
Deactivatedc.1969 (1970)[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeosynchronous
Longitude174° east[2]
Perigee altitude35,748 kilometers (22,213 mi)
Apogee altitude35,845 kilometers (22,273 mi)
Inclination6.80 degrees
Period23.93 hours
EpochFebruary 4, 2014, 11:35:30 UTC[3]

Intelsat II F-2, also known as Lani Bird, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1967, it was operated in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 174 degrees east until 1969.

The second of four Intelsat II satellites to be launched, Intelsat II F-2 was built by Hughes Aircraft around the HS-303A satellite bus. It carried two transponders, which were powered by body-mounted solar cells generating 85 watts of power.[4] The spacecraft had a mass of 162 kilograms (357 lb) at launch, decreasing to 86 kilograms (190 lb) by the beginning of its operational life.

Intelsat II F-2 was launched atop a Delta E1 rocket flying from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch took place at 10:55:00 on January 11, 1967, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit. It fired an SVM-1 apogee motor to place itself into its operational geostationary orbit, arriving on-station at 174° East on February 4, 1967.[5] The satellite achieved around two years of operation at that slot before failing in 1969.[2]

As of February 4, 2014, Intelsat II F-2 was in an orbit with a perigee of 35,748 kilometers (22,213 mi), an apogee of 35,845 kilometers (22,273 mi), inclination of 6.80 degrees and an orbital period of 23.93 hours.[3]

References

  1. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Wade, Mark. "Intelsat 2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "INTELSAT 2-F2 Satellite details 1967-001A NORAD 2639". N2YO. February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Intelsat-2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  5. ^ "INTELSAT 2 F-2". National Space Science Data Center. Retrieved February 8, 2014.