Superbird-A

The spacecraft was the first satellite designed and manufactured by Ford Aerospace on the SSL 1300 satellite bus. It was based on the design of the Intelsat V series and offered a three-axis stabilized platform.[6][7][8][5]

It had a launch mass of 2,489 kg (5,487 lb) and a 10-year design life.[1] When stowed for launch, its dimensions were 2.41 m × 2.58 m × 2.20 m (7 ft 11 in × 8 ft 6 in × 7 ft 3 in). With its solar panels fully extended it spanned 20.3 m (67 ft). Its power system generated approximately 3,984 watts of power due to two wings with three solar panels each.[5][1] It also a NiH₂ battery to survive the solar eclipses. It would serve as the main satellite on the 158° East longitude position of the Superbird.[5][1]

Its propulsion system included an R-4D-11 liquid apogee engine (LAE) with a thrust of 490 N (110 lb_f).[5] It included enough propellant for orbit circularization and 10 years of operation.[5]

Its payload is composed of 23 Ku-band, 3 Ka-band, plus 2 X-band transponders.[5]

Space Communications Corporation (SCC) was founded in 1985, the same year as the original companies that later formed JSAT.[9] In 1986, SCC ordered four spacecraft from Ford Aerospace, Superbird-1, Superbird-2, Superbird-A1 and Superbird-B1.[7]

On 5 June 1989 at 22:37:18 UTC, Superbird-1, the second private communications satellite of Japan, was launched aboard an Ariane 44L along DFS Kopernikus-1.[5] It was injected into a 185 km x 35,981 km geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), from which it climbed through three liquid apogee engine (LAE) firings.[1] Once in its 158° East longitude position, it was rechristened as Superbird-A.[5][7][9]