Intelsat 2, formerly PAS-2, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat which spent most of its operational life serving the Pacific Rim market from a longitude of 169° East.[2] Launched in July 1994, 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]

Intelsat 2

Names	IS-2 PAS-2 PanAmSat-2 Panamsat K1
Mission type	Communications
Operator	PanAmSat (1994-2006) Intelsat (2006-2011)
COSPAR ID	1994-040A
SATCAT no.	23175
Website	http://www.intelsat.com
Mission duration	15 years (planned) 16.5 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	PAS-2
Spacecraft type	Boeing 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	8 July 1994, 23:05:32 UTC
Rocket	Ariane 44L H10+ (V65)
Launch site	Centre Spatial Guyanais, ELA-2
Contractor	Arianespace
Entered service	September 1994
End of mission
Disposal	Graveyard orbit
Deactivated	July 2011
Last contact	28 February 2011
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit[1]
Regime	Geostationary orbit
Longitude	169° East (1994-2010) 157° East (2010) 174° East (2010-2011)
Transponders
Band	40 transponders: 20 C band 20 Ku-band
Coverage area	Oceania, Pacific Rim, Pacific Ocean region
PanAmSat constellation ← PAS-1 PAS-3 →

Satellite description

PAS-2 was constructed by the 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.[2]

Launch

Arianespace launched PAS-2, using an Ariane 4 launch vehicle, flight number V65, in the Ariane 44L H10+ configuration. The launch took place from ELA-2 at the Centre Spatial Guyanais at 23:05:32 UTC on 8 July 1994. The satellite was placed into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), from which it raised itself into geostationary orbit by means of an R-4D-11-300 apogee motor.[3]

Intelsat 2

Intelsat 2 (PAS-2), 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 2 was removed from geostationary orbit in February 2011, being placed into graveyard orbit on 28 February 2011.[4] Manoeuvring into graveyard orbit did not fully deplete the satellite's propellant as had been expected, so engineering operations continued until July 2011 in order to exhaust the remaining supply. The satellite was then decommissioned and powered down.[5]

References