Intelsat IV-B Press Kit

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WASA NewsNational Aeronautics andSpace Administration

Washington. D C 20546AC 20 2 755-8370 P % - I O D

Fo r ReleaseIMMEDIATE

Press Kit Project I n t e l s a t V-BRELEASE NO: 81-60

Contents

GENERAL RELEASE...1

ATLAS CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLE STATISTICS...................... 3

LAUNCH OPERATIONS............................................4

LAUNCH SEQUENCE FOR INTELSAT V-B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5THE NASA INTELSAT TEAM 6

CONTRACTORS.................................................. 7

May 15, 1981


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R J NewsNational Aeronautics andSpace Administration

Washington D C 20546

AC 202 755-8370

For ReleaseKe n SenstadHeadquarters, Washington, D.C. IMMEDIATE(Phone: 202/755-8330)

RELEASE NO: 81-60

INTELSAT SATELLITE SCHEDULED FOR LAUNCH

Intelsat V-B, the second of a ne w series of nine inter-

national telecommunications satellites owned an d operated by the

105-nation International Telecommunications Satellite Organiza-

tion (Intelsat), is scheduled to be launched by th e NASA Kennedy

Space Center on board an Atlas Centaur launch vehicle no earlier

than May 21, 1981, from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The first Intelsat

V wa s successfully launched by NASA la t December.

Like it s predecessor, Intelsat V-B weighs 1,928 kilograms

(4,251 pounds) at launch an d ha s almost double the communications

capability of early satellites in th e Intelsat series -- 12,000

voice circuits an d tw o color television channels. It will be

positioned in geosynchronous orbit over th e Atlantic Ocean as the

prime Intelsat satellite to provide communications services be-

tween th e Americas, Europe, th e Middle East an d Africa.

May 15, 1981

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Intelsat V satellites ar e built by the Ford Aerospace andCommunications Corp., Palo Alto, Calif., using system componentsdeveloped by firms in th e United Kingdom, France, th e FederalRepublic of Germany, Italy an d Japan.

The International Telecommunications Satellite Organizationis headquartered in Washington, D.C. NASA is reimbursed for al lcosts of the Atlas Centaur an d launch services under the provi-sions of a launch services agreement signed in May last year.

The Atlas Centaur (AC-56) will place the Tntelsat V- B intoa highly elliptical transfer orbit ranging from 166.6 to 35,964kilometers (103 to 22,347 miles). It is from this orbit at apo-ge e that a solid propellant rocket motor attached to the satel-lite will be fired to circularize the orbit at geosynchronousaltitude over the equator. At that altitude, because the speedof the satellite in orbit matches the rotational speed of theEarth, the satellite remains in position over on e spot.

NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, ha s manage-ment responsibility tor Atlas Centaur development and operation.NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., is assigned vehicle checkoutand launch responsibility once the Atlas Centaur reaches CapeCanaveral.

Overall direction of the NASA expendable launch vehicle pro-gram is vested in th e Office of Space Transportation Operationsin Washington, D.C.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INDOLRATION FOLLOWS.)

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ATLAS CENTAUR LAUNCH VEHICLE STATISTICS

Intelsat V-B will be launched by the Atlas Centaur, NASA's

standard launch vehicle for intermediate weight payloads. The

launch vehicle has the following general characteristics:

Height: 40.8 meters (134 feet) including nose fairing

Diameter: 3.05 m (10 ft.)

Total Liftoff Weight: 147,926 kg (326,120 lb.)including spacecraft

Liftoff Thrust: 1,917,088 newtons (431,000 lb.) sea level

Atlas Stage

Th e Atlas stage consists of the booster section (one-halfstage) and the sustainer/vernier section (tirst stage). The Atlas

is manufactured by General Dynamics/Convair, Sa n Diego, Calif.,using the MA-5 engine system supplied by Rocketdyne Division of

Rockwell International, Canoga Park, Calif. The MA-5 system con-

sists of two booster engines, one sustainer engine and two ver-

nier engines. The Atlas stage has the following characteristics:

Height: 21.1 m (69.5 ft.)

Diameter: 3.05 m (1 0 ft.)

Propellants: RP-1 kerosene for fuel and liquid oxygen(LOX) as the oxidizer

Thrust: Total Booster: 1,645,750 N (370,000 lb.) sea levelSustainer: 266,880 N (60,000 lb.)Total Vernier: 4,448 N (1,000 lb.)

Total Liftoff Thrust: 1,917,088 N (431,000 lb.)

Centaur Stage

Th e Centaur (second stage) is manufactured by GeneralDynamics/Convair, using the RL-10 engines built by Pratt and

Whitney Aircratt Group, West Palm Beach, Fla. This stage has

the following characteristics:

Height: 9.1 m (3 0 ft.)

Diameter: 3.05 m (1 0 ft.)

Propellants: Liquid hydrogen for fuel and liquid oxygenfor the oxidizer.

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LAUNCH OPERAT'IONS

NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center is responsib leto r tnepreparation and launch ot Atlas Centaur AC-56, wnich wiil carryIntelsat V- B into orbit.

The Atlas an a Centaur stages of Atlas Centc.ur 56 arrivec athe Cape Canaveral Ai r Force Station on Dec. 10, 1980. The Atlaswa s erected on Pad B of Launch Complex 36 on Dec. 16, 1980, an dthe Centaur stage on Dec. 17. A Terminal Countdown DemonstrationTest wa s carried ou t on Feb. 3, 1981, and a Flight Events Demon-stration was held on April 30.

The Intelsat V-B satellite arrived on Feb. 5, 1981, anu wa sheckea ou t in Hangar AO at Cape Canaveral. It wa s movea on May 3o the Explosive Safe Area for final servicing an dcapsulation.There, the satellite's attitude control system wa s lueled withhydrazine, the apogee kick motor wa s installed an o the protectiveshroud wa s pu t in place.

The satellite and the launch vehicle were mated on Pa a B onay 13, an d a readiness test wa s conducted on t iay 14.

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THE NASA INTELSAT TEAM

NASA Headquarters

Dr. Stanley I. Weiss AssociateAdministrator for

Space Transportation OperadtiOilS

Joseph B. Mahon Director,ExpendabLe Launch

Vehicles

F. R. SchmidtManager, Atlas Centaur Launch

Vehicle

Lewis Research Center

Dr. John F. McCarthy Jr . Director

Dr. John Klineberg AssociateDirector

Lawrence J. Ross Director,Space Directorate

J. E. Patterson Chief,Launch Vehicles

Division

S. V. Szabo Jr .Deputy Chief, Launch VehiclesDivision

Richard E. Orzechowski IntelsatMission Project

Engineer

Kennedy Space Center

Richara G. Smith Director

'Thomas S. Walton Director,Cargo Opetations

Charles D. Gay Director,Deployable Payloads

Operations

John GossettChiet, Centaur Operations

Lawrence F. Kruse SpacecraftCoordinator

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CONTRACTORS

G e n e r a l Dynamics/Convair Atlas Centaur launch vehicleSan Diego , C a l i f .

Honeywell Aerospace Division Centaur guidance inertialSt. Petersburg, Fla. measurement group

Pratt and Whitney Centaur RL-10 enginesAircraft Group

Wuest Palm Beach, Fla.

Teledyne Industries, Inc. Digital computer unit/PCblN o r t h r i a g e , Ca l i f . t e l e m e t r y

Rocketdyne Division MIA-5 propulsion systemsRockwell International Corp.Canoga Park, Calit.

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(Inoex: 9, 20, 21, 29)

Intelsat IV-B Press Kit

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