The spacecraft was designed and manufactured by Boeing Satellite Development Center on the HS-601 satellite bus. It had a launch mass of 2,982 kg (6,574 lb) and a 12-year design life. Its solar panels span 21 m (69 ft) when fully deployed and generated approximately 5 kW of power, with its antennas in fully extended configuration it is 7.6 m (25 ft) wide.[4] It would provide communications services throughout Japan, East Asia, South Asia, Australia and Hawaii.[2]
Its payload is composed of sixteen 36 MHz plus another sixteen 27 MHz Ku-band transponders, for a total bandwidth of 1008 MHz.[5] Its twelve of the 36 MHz transponders have a TWTA output power of 95 watts, the other four 36 MHz and the 27 MHz ones have 60 watts.[4][2] It can configure four 36 MHz transponders into two 76 MHz with an effective 95 watts.[2]
The Ku-band footprint covers Japan, Korea, most of China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, part of Indonesia, part of Malaysia and Hawaii.[4]
An Ariane 44P successfully launched JCSAT-5 on 2 December 1997 at 22:52:32 UTC from Centre Spatial GuyanaisELA-2 launch pad. Once successfully deployed, it was renamed as JCSAT-1B. It was driven to the 150° East position where it replaced JCSAT-1.[2]
The satellite experienced an anomaly on 17 January 2007 on one of its thrusters. But after the operator designed a control scheme to handle the satellite without the failed thruster, it was put back into service.[2]
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).