Marisat 3

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.

Marisat 3
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorCOMSAT[1]→Inmarsat→Intelsat
COSPAR ID1976-101A
SATCAT no.09478
Mission duration32 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeHS-356
ManufacturerHughes
Launch mass665.0 kg (1,466.1 lb)
BOL mass362 kg (798 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateOctober 14, 1976, 22:44 (1976-10-14UTC22:44Z) UTC[2]
RocketDelta 2914
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-17A
End of mission
DeactivatedOctober 29, 2008 (2008-10-30)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary
Longitude33.9° W
Eccentricity0.01748[3]
Perigee altitude35,051 kilometres (21,780 mi)[3]
Apogee altitude36,525 kilometres (22,696 mi)[3]
Inclination2.6°[3]
Period1,436.2 minutes[3]
EpochFebruary 19, 1976[3]
Transponders
Band1 L band, 1 C band and 3 UHF
FrequencyUplink: 307.75/254.15 MHz Downlink: 311.15–257.55 MHz
 

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. "Marisat 3". NSSDC Master Catalog. Retrieved May 23, 2017.


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