Intelsat IV-A (F6) Press Kit

8/7/2019 Intelsat IV-A (F6) Press Kit

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N ! A ewsational Aeronautics andSpace Administration

Washington.DC 20546AC 202 755-8370

PressKit Project INTELSAT IV-A ( ~ 6 )RELE ASE NO: 78-42

ContentsGENERAL RELEASE.................................... 1 -3ATLAS CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLE....................... 4TYPICAL LAUNCH VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS............. 5LAUNCH OPERATIONS.................................. 6TYPICAL LAUNCH SEQUENCE F O R INTELSAT IV-A.......... 7ATLAS CENTAUR/INTELSAT IV-A TEAM................... 8-9C O N T R A C T O R S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Mailed :March 2 0 , 1978


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IuJ\sAN e wNational Aeronautics andSpaceAdministrationWashington, D C 20546AC 20 2 755-8370

David G a r r e t tH e a d q u a r t e r s , W a s h i n g t o n , D.C.(Phone: 202/755-3090)

For Release:IMMEDIATE

Mari lyn EdwardsL e w i s Research C e n t e r , C l e v e l a n d , O h i o(Phone: 2 1 6 / 4 3 3 - 4 0 0 0 E x t . 415)

RELEASE NO: 78-42

SIXTH INTELSAT I V - A LAUNCH SCHEDULED

The s i x t h I n t e l s a t I V - A commercial communicationss a t e l l i t e w i l l b e l a u n c h e d by NASA a b o a r d a n A t l a s C e n t a u rr o c k e t f ro m K ennedy S p a ce C e n t e r , F l a . , n o e a r l i e r t h a nMarch 30 , 1978 .

The s a t e l l i t e , w hich w e ighs 1 , 4 8 0 k i l o g r a m s ( 3 , 2 6 3pounds ) a t l a u n c h , i s i n t e n d ed f o r s e r v i c e i n t h e I n d ia nOcean r e g i o n .

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Intelsat IV-A(F6) satellite w i l l be placed in geo-stationary orbit over the Indian Ocean at 63 degrees Eastlongitude, where it will provide international communicationsservices to some 4 0 countries in the Indian Ocean reqion.

Intelsat I V - A ( F 3 ) , launched Jan. 6 , 1978, will beplaced at 6 0 degrees E. longitude and serve as a backup toIntelsat IV-A(F6). Each satellite has a seven-year desiqnlife and the capacity to relay more than 6 , 0 0 0 simultaneoustelephone calls and two television programs.

The Intelsat satellites are owned by the InternationalTelecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT) TheCommunications Satellite Corp. (COMSAT) the United Statesmember, is also the management services contractor for thesatellite system. N A S A is reimbursed for all costs of theAtlas Centaur and launch services by C O M S A T on behalf ofIntelsat, under Frovisions of a launch services aureement.

The Atlas Centaur AC-48 launch vehicle is expected toplace the Intelsat IV-A in a hiqhly elliptical orbit of 548by 35,788 kilometers ( 3 4 1 by 22,240 miles). After reorien-tation of the satellite, a solid propellant rocket motoraboard the spacecraft w i 1 1 . he fired to circularize the orhitat synchronous altitude 35,788 km (22,240 mi.) over theequator.

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At that altitude, because the speed of the spacecraftin orbit matches the rotational speed of the Earth, thesatellite remains in position over one spot.

NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, hasmanagement responsihility for the Atlas Centaur developmentand operation. NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is assignedvehicle checkout and launch responsibility once the vehiclereaches Cape Canaveral.

The Intelsat IV-A satellites, built by Hughes AircraftCo . , El Segundo, Calif., are 6 . 9 8 meters tall (about 2 3 feet)and weigh 1 , 4 8 0 kg (about 3 , 2 6 3 lb.) at liftoff and 8 2 5 . 5 kg( 1 , 8 2 9 lb.) after apogee motor firinq.

This Intelsat IV-A launch costs approximately $ 4 7 millio

-- $ 1 8 million for the satellite and $ 2 9 million for theAtlas Centaur launch vehicle and related services.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)

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ATLAS C E N T A U R LAUNCH VEHICLE

The A t l a s C e n t a u r i s NASA's s t a n d a r d l a u n c h v e h i c l e f o ri n t e r m e d i a t e w e i g h t p ay l o a d s. I t i s u se d f o r t h e l a un c h o fE a r t h o r b i t a l , E a r t h s yn ch ro no us a nd i n t e r p l a n e t a r y m i ss io n s.C e nt au r was t h e n a t i o n ' s f i r s t h ig h- en er gy , l i q u i d -h y d r o q e n/ l iq u i d - ox y q e n p r o p e l l e d r o c k e t . D e ve lo p ed a ndl au nc he d u nd er t h e d i r e c t i o n o f NASA's L e w i s R e s e a r c h C e n t e r ,

it b e c a m e o p e r a t i o n a l i n 1 9 6 6 w i t h th e l a u n c h o f S u r v e y o r 1,t h e f i r s t IJ.S. s p a c e c r a f t t o s o f t - l a n d o n t h e M oon's s u r f a c e .S i n c e t h a t t i m e , b o th t h e A t l a s b o o s t e r a n d C e n t a u rsecond s t a g e have underqone many improvements . A t p r e s e n t ,t h e v e h i c l e c o rn h in at io n can p l a c e , 4,536 kg ( 1 0 , 0 0 0 lb.) i nlow E a r t h o r b i t , 1 , 8 8 2 kg ( 4 , 1 5 0 l b . ) i n a s y n c h r o n o u s t r a n s -f e r o r b i t and 9 0 7 k g ( 2 , 0 0 0 l b . ) o n an i n t e r p l a n e t a r yt r a j e c t o r y .The A t l a s C e n t a u r , s t a n d i n g a p p r o x i m a t e l y 40 .8 m (134f t . ) h i g h , c o n s i s t s o f a n A t l a s SLV-3D b o o s t e r a n d C e n t a u r

D- 1 AR s e co n d s t a g e . The A t l a s boos te r d e v e l o p s 1 , 9 2 0 k i l o -newtons (431 ,300 lb.) of t h r u s t a t l i f t o f f u s i n g t w o 822,920-n ew to n (1 8 5 ,0 0 0 -l b .) t h r u s t b o o s t e r e n g i n e s , o n e 266,890-N( 60 ,0 0 0- lb .) t h r u s t s u s t a i n e r e n q i ne an d two v e r n i e r e n g i n esd e v e l o p i n g 2 , 8 9 0 N (650 l b . ) t h r u s t e ac h. T h e t w o R L - 1 0e n g i n e s o n C e n t a u r p r o d u c e a t o t a l o f 1 33 ,45 0 N ( 3 0 , 0 0 0 lb.)t h r u s t . B oth t h e A t l a s a nd t h e C e n t a u r a re 3.048 m (10 f t . )i n d i am e t er .U n t i l e a r l y 1 9 7 4 , C e n t a u r w a s u se d e x c l u s i v e l y i n c o m -

b i n a t i o n w i t h t h e A t l a s b o o s t e r , I t w a s s u b s e q u e n t l y u s e dw i t h a T i t a n I11 b o o s t e r t o l a un c h h e a v i e r p a yl o ad s i n t oE a r t h o r b i t and i n t e r p l a n e t a r y t r a j e c t o r i e s .T h e A t l a s a n d t h e Cen tau r v e h i c l e s h av e be en u p d a te dover t h e y e a r s . T h r u s t o f t h e A t l a s e n g i n e s h a s b e e n i n -c r e a s e d a b o u t 222 , 4 0 0 N ( 5 0 , 0 0 0 lb.) s i n c e i t s d eb u t i n t h es p ac e pr og ra m i n t h e e a r l y 1 9 6 0 s .The Centaur DlAR has an i n t e g r a t e d e l e c t r o n i c systemt h a t p e rf or m s a major r o l e i n c he ck in g i t s e l f and o t h e rv e h i c l e s y st e m s b e f o r e l a u n ch a nd a l s o m a i n t a i n s c o n t r o l o fmajor e v e n t s a f t e r l i f t o f f . The new C e nt au r s ys te m h a n dl e s

n a v i g a t i o n a n d g u i d a nc e t a s k s , c o n t r o l s p r e s s u r i z a t i o n an dv e n t i n g , p r o p e l l a n t manag em en t, t e l e m e t r y f o r m a t s a nd t r a n s -m i s s i o n and i n i t i a t e s v e h i c l e e ve n t s . Most o p e r a t i o n a l n ee d scan b e m e t by c h a n g i n g . t h e co m p ut er s o f t w a r e .- m o r e -


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Typrcm LAUNCH VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICSL i f t o f f weight including spacecraft: 148,060 kgLiftoff height: 40.8 m (134 ft.) (-326,419 lb.)

Launch Complex: 36BAtlas Booster

Weight (with 130,317 kgpropellants) (287,300 lb. )Height 21.3 m (70 ft.)

Thrust 1,919 kn(431,300 lb.)at sea levelPropellants Liquid oxygenand RP-1Propulsion MA-5 system two822,921-N (185,000lb.) thrust boosterengines, one

thrust sustainerengine, two 2,891-N(650-lb.) thrustvernier engines.

266,893-N (60,000 lb.)

Velocity

Guidance

9,205 km/hr (5,720mph) at boosterengine cutoff (BECO)13,061 h /h r (8,116mph) at sustainerengine cutoff (SECO).Preprogrammed profilethrough BECO, switchto inertial guidancefor sustainer phase.

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%en taur Staue17,781 kg(39,200 lb.)19.5 m (64 ft.)with payloadfairing133,447 N(30,000 lb.)in vacuumLiquid oxygenLiquid hydrogenTWO 66,723-N(15,000-lb.)thrust RL-10engines, 12hydrogen peroxidethrusters.

33,345 h / h r(20,720 mph) atspacecraft separation.

Inertial guidance


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LAUNCH OPERATIONS

The Atlas Centaur stages of the Atlas Centaur 48launch vehicle arrived at Cape Canaveral Air Force StationJan. 11, 1978, and were erected on Pad B, Complex 36,Jan. 25-26. Following completion of electrical, pneumatic,hydraulic, propulsion and guidance systems checkout andtesting, a Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCD) wasperformed March 8. The TCD demonstrated the integrity ofthe vehicle-to-ground systems interface in a cryogenicenvironment whi ch duplicated launch countdown conditions.

The Intelsat I V - A ( F 6 ) spacecraft was received Jan. 18and underwent systems checkout in Hangar AM. The space-craft was moved to the Spacecraft Assembly and EncapsulationFacility March 14, where hydrazine loading and encapsulationof the payload fairing were completed.The spacecraft/payload fairing assembly is scheduledfor mating with the launch vehicle March 22 in support ofthe Combined Readiness Test March 23. Final countdownpreparations f o r the planned March 30 launch will be ini-tiated March 27.All launch vehicle and pad operations during the launchcountdown are conducted from the blockhouse at Complex 36by a joint government-industry team.

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TYPICAL LAUNCH SEQUENCE FOR INTELSAT I V - AE a r t h R e l a t i v eProgram Time V el oc i t y Range A l t i t u d eF l i g h t E v e n t s (Seconds) (Km/Hr Mph K i l o m e e r s f l i l e s Kilometers/MileL i f t o f f 0 0 n 0 0 0 0BECO 140.4 9,2 05 5,7 20 82.2 51.1 57.8 36.0B o o s t e r J e t t i s o nI n s u l a t i o n P a n e lJe ttisonSECO/VECOCentaur S e p a r a t i o nCentaur MES (1)Nose F a i r i n g J e t t i s o nCentaur MECO (1)C e n t a u r MES ( 2 )C e n t a u r MECO ( 2)

143.5185.4

242.5249.5259.0271.062q.2

1,493.01 ,529 .0

9,306 5 ,782 89.5l q , 3 6 3 6 ,439 194 .8

13 ,06 1 8 ,116 386 .513 ,059 8,114 393.412,997 8 ,076 426.1 3 , 2 0 5 8,205 468.528,029 17,416 2 ,278.0

26 ,531 16 ,490 8 ,611 .833,862 21,041 !,256.9

55.6 61.0121.1 98.7

240.2 144.9244.4 146.3265.0 152.3

159.91.11,415.5 189.2

5,351.1 558.95,751.9 627.5

37.961.4

90.190.994.698.9117.3 4 7 .389.

Spacecraf t Se pa ra t i on 1 ,714 .0 33 ,329 20 ,710 10 ,371 .2 6 ,444 .4 806.9 5 0 1 .Reorient Centaur 1 ,719 .0S t a r t B l o w d o w n 1,824.0End Blowdown 2,134.0

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ATLAS CENl"TUR/I"I%LSAT IV-F TEAM

NASA H e a d a u a r t e r s~

John F. Y a r d l e yJ o s e p h B. Mahon

F. R. SchmidtL e w i s R e s e a r c h C e n t e rD r . Bernard LubarskyD r . Seymour C . H i m m e lLawrence J. ROSSR i c h a r d E. Orezechowski

Kennedy Space C e n t e rL e e R. S c h e r e rG e r a l d D. G r i f f i n

D r . Walter J . KapryanGeorge F. PageJohn D. G o s s e t tC r e i g h t o n A. TerhuneF l o y d C u r r i n g t o n

Associate A d m i n i s t r a t o rf o r S pace F l i g h t

Direc to r of Launch Vehic lea n d P r o p u l s io n P r o g r a m sManager, A t l a s C e n t a u r

A c t i n g Di r e c t o rAssoc ia te DirectorD i r e c t o r of Launch V e h i c l e sI n t e l s a t Mission P r o j e c tE n g i n e e r

D i r e c t o rDeputy D i r e c t o rDire c to r , Space V e h i c l e sO p e r a t i o n sD i r e c t o r , E x p en d ab l e V e h i c l e sC h i e f , C e n t au r O p e r a t i o n sC h ie f E n g i n e e r , A t l a s C e n t a u rS p a c e c r a f t C o o r d in a t or

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COMSATD r . Joseph V. CharykEugene T. J i l g

Allen M. McCa8killHughes A i r c r a f t Co.A. T. Owens

PremidsntA 8 6 i s t a n t Vice P r e s i d e n tEngineeringManager, Launch V e h i c l e s

I n t e l s a t IV-A Pro jec tManagerCONTRACTORS

. General Dynamics/Convair A t l a s Centaur launchSan Diego, C a l i f . veh ic l eHoneywell Aerospace Division C en tau r g u id an ce i n e r t i a lS t . Pete rsburg , F la . measurement groupPrat t and WhitneyW e s t Palm Beach, F l a . Centaur RL-10 eng inesTeledyne Indus t r i es , Inc. D i g i t a l computer unit/PCMNorthr idge, Calif. t e l em e t ryRocketdyne Division MA-5 propuls ion sys temsRockwel l In te rn at io na l Corp.Canoga P a r k , C a l i f .

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Intelsat IV-A (F6) Press Kit

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