Intelsat 3R (formerly PAS-3R) is a communications satellite owned by Intelsat located at 43° West longitude, serving the Americas market.[2]
| Names | PAS-3R PANAMSAT 3R IS-3R Panamsat K4 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | PanAmSat (1996-2006) Intelsat (2006-2011) |
| COSPAR ID | 1996-002A |
| SATCAT no. | 23764 |
| Website | http://www.intelsat.com |
| Mission duration | 15 years (planned) 15 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Boeimg 601 |
| Bus | HS-601 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes |
| Launch mass | 2,920 kg (6,440 lb) |
| Dry mass | 1,727 kg (3,807 lb) |
| Power | 4.3 kW |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 12 January 1996, 23:10:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Ariane 44L H10-3 (V82) |
| Launch site | Centre Spatial Guyanais, ELA-2 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Entered service | March 1996 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated | August 2011 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
| Regime | Geostationary orbit |
| Longitude | 43° West (1996-2010) 81° West (2010-2011) |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 40 transponders: 20 C-band 20 Ku-band |
| Coverage area | Americas, Caribbean, Europe, Africa |
Satellite description
PAS-3R was constructed by Hughes Aircraft Corporation, based on the HS-601 satellite bus. It had a mass at launch of 2,920 kg (6,440 lb), which decreased to around 1,727 kg (3,807 lb) by the time it was operational. Designed for an operational life of 15 years, the spacecraft was equipped with 20 C-band and 20 Ku-band transponders.[3] Its two solar panels, which had a span of 26 m (85 ft) generated 4.7 kW of power when the spacecraft first entered service, which was expected to drop to around 4.3 kW by the end of the vehicle's operational life.[3]
Launch
Arianespace launched PAS-3R, using an Ariane 4 launch vehicle, flight number V82, in the Ariane 44L H10-3 configuration. The launch took place from ELA-2 at the Centre Spatial Guyanais, at Kourou in French Guiana, on 12 January 1996, at 23:10:00 UTC.[3]
Intelsat 3R
Intelsat 3R, formerly PAS-3R, launched in January 1996, the satellite was operated by PanAmSat until it merged with Intelsat in 2006. The spacecraft was renamed, along with the rest of PanAmSat's fleet, on 1 February 2007.[3]
Decommissioning
Intelsat 3R was removed from geostationary orbit in August 2011, being placed into graveyard orbit.
