Marisat 2

Marisat 2
Mission type Communications
Operator COMSAT[1]Inmarsat
COSPAR ID 1976-053A
SATCAT no. 08882
Mission duration 20 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type HS-356
Manufacturer Hughes
Launch mass 665.0 kg (1,466.1 lb)
BOL mass 362 kg (798 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date June 10, 1976, 00:09 (1976-06-10UTC00:09Z) UTC[2]
Rocket Delta 2914
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-17A
End of mission
Deactivated September 1996 (1996-10)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Geostationary
Longitude 73° E
Eccentricity 0.00022[3]
Perigee 35,788 kilometres (22,238 mi)[3]
Apogee 35,807 kilometres (22,249 mi)[3]
Inclination 2.5°[3]
Period 1,436.1 minutes[3]
Epoch February 19, 1976[3]
Transponders
Band 1 L band, 1 C band and 3 UHF

Marisat 2 (or Marisat F2) is a communications satellite operated by COMSAT. Marisat 2 was the second of a series of COMSAT maritime communications satellites.

Satellite

The spacecraft was capable of transmitting voice, data, facsimile and telex messages to and from ships at sea through special shore stations at Southbury, Connecticut and Saint Paul, CA, which were interconnected with existing domestic terrestrial networks. The system was initially utilized primarily by the U.S. Navy, with a limited amount of satellite capacity provided in different frequency bands (L band), through separate satellite transponders, for maritime communications services to commercial entities and other interested users. At such time as the Navy's requirements terminate (late 1970s) susstantial satellite capacity will become available for commercial maritime purposes. Following launch, satellite operation was nominal. It was placed in geosynchronous orbit at 176.5 degrees west and using propulsion FW-5.

Launch

Marisat 2 was launched by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, at 22:32 UTC on June 10, 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Marisat 2". NSSDC Master Catalog. Retrieved May 23, 2017.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.