Intelsat II F-3, also known as Canary Bird was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1967 it was operated in geostationary orbit, spending most of its operational life at a longitude of 15 degrees west.
Mission type | Communications |
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Operator | Intelsat |
COSPAR ID | 1967-026A[1] |
SATCAT no. | 2717[1] |
Mission duration | 3 years |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | Intelsat II |
Bus | HS-303A |
Manufacturer | Hughes |
Launch mass | 162 kilograms (357 lb) |
BOL mass | 86 kilograms (190 lb) |
Power | 85 watts |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | March 23, 1967, 01:30:12 (1967-03-23UTC01:30:12Z) UTC[2] |
Rocket | Delta E1 |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17B |
Contractor | NASA |
End of mission | |
Deactivated | Early 1970s |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Geosynchronous |
Longitude | 15° west (1967-71, 1973) 35° west (1972) |
Perigee altitude | 35,716 kilometers (22,193 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 35,892 kilometers (22,302 mi) |
Inclination | 5.81 degrees |
Period | 23.94 hours |
Epoch | February 7, 2014, 14:16:27 UTC[3] |
Intelsat II |
The third of four Intelsat II satellites to be launched, Intelsat II F-3 was built by Hughes Aircraft around the HS-303A satellite bus. It carried two transponders, which were powered by body-mounted solar cells generating 85 watts of power.[4] The spacecraft had a mass of 162 kilograms (357 lb) at launch, decreasing through expenditure of propellant to 86 kilograms (190 lb) by the beginning of its operational life.
Intelsat II F-3 was launched atop a Delta E1 rocket flying from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch took place at 01:30:12 on March 23, 1967, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit. It fired an SVM-1 apogee motor to place itself into its operational geostationary orbit. The spacecraft was operated at a longitude of 15° west, over the Atlantic Ocean. It was briefly relocated to 35° west in 1972, but had returned to 15° west by the following year.[5]
It acquired the unofficial nickname Canary Bird because of the association of the mission with Maspalomas Station, the ground station which is located in the Canary Islands.[6]
As of February 7, 2014 the derelict Intelsat II F-3 was in an orbit with a perigee of 35,716 kilometers (22,193 mi), an apogee of 35,892 kilometers (22,302 mi), inclination of 5.81 degrees and an orbital period of 23.94 hours.[3]
Intelsat Corporation | |
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Intelsat I, II, III | |
Intelsat IV | |
Intelsat V | |
Intelsat VI | |
Intelsat 7-10 | |
ex-PanAmSat | |
Recent Intelsat | |
Galaxy (Intelsat Americas) | |
Other |
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← 1966 · Orbital launches in 1967 · 1968 → | |
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Intelsat II F-2 | OPS 1664 | IDCSP 9 · IDCSP 10 · IDCSP 11 · IDCSP 12 · IDCSP 13 · IDCSP 14 · IDCSP 15 · IDCSP 16 | Kosmos 138 | Kosmos 139 | ESSA-4 | OV3-5 | OPS 4399 | Lunar Orbiter 3 | Kosmos 140 | OPS 6073 | Diadème 1 | Kosmos 141 | Kosmos 142 | Diadème 2 | OPS 4750 | OPS 4204 | Kosmos 143 | Kosmos 144 | Kosmos 145 | OSO 3 | Kosmos 146 | Kosmos 147 | Kosmos 148 | Kosmos 149 | Kosmos 150 · OGCh No.8 | Intelsat II F-3 | Kosmos 151 | Kosmos 152 | OPS 4779 | Kosmos 153 | ATS-2 · RPM-481 | Kosmos 154 | Kosmos 155 | Unnamed | OPS 0100 | Surveyor 3 | ESSA-5 | Soyuz 1 | San Marco 2 | OPS 4243 | Kosmos 156 | OPS 6638 · OPS 6679 · ERS-18 · ERS-20 · ERS-27 | Lunar Orbiter 4 | Ariel 3 | OPS 4696 · OPS 1967 | Kosmos 157 | Kosmos 158 | Kosmos 159 | Kosmos 160 | OPS 7218 | Kosmos 161 | OPS 4321 · OPS 5557 | Explorer 34 | Molniya-1 No.8 | ESRO-2A | NRL PL-151 · NRL PL-152 · NRL PL-153 · NRL PL-154 · NRL-PL 159 · Timation 1 · Calsphere 3 · Calsphere 4 · OPS 5712 | Kosmos 162 | OPS 4360 | Kosmos 163 | Kosmos 164 | Venera 4 | Kosmos 165 | Mariner 5 | Kosmos 166 | OPS 3559 · OPS 1873 | Kosmos 167 | Zenit-4 No.32 | OPS 4286 | Unnamed | SECOR-9 · Aurora | IDCSP 16 · IDCSP 17 · IDCSP 18 · IDCSP 19 · LES-5 · DODGE | Kosmos 168 | Surveyor 4 | Kosmos 169 | Explorer 35 | Zenit-4 No.33 | OPS 1879 | OV1-11 · OV1-12 · OV1-86 | OGO-4 | Kosmos 170 | Lunar Orbiter 5 | OPS 4827 | Kosmos 171 | Kosmos 172 | OPS 4886 | OPS 7202 | Kosmos 173 | Kosmos 174 | Zenit-2 No.51 | Biosatellite 2 | Surveyor 5 | Kosmos 175 | Kosmos 176 | OPS 5089 | Kosmos 177 | Kosmos 178 | OPS 4941 | Kosmos 179 | OPS 4947 | Kosmos 180 | Unnamed | 7K-L1 No.4L | Intelsat II F-4 | Molniya-1 No.9 | OPS 1264 | Kosmos 181 | Kosmos 182 | Kosmos 183 | OSO 4 | Molniya-1 No.12 | Kosmos 184 | OPS 4995 | Kosmos 185 | Kosmos 186 | Kosmos 187 | Kosmos 188 | Kosmos 189 | OPS 0562 · OPS 1587 | Kosmos 190 | ATS-3 | Surveyor 6 | Apollo 4 | ESSA-6 | Kosmos 191 | 7K-L1 No.5L | Kosmos 192 | Kosmos 193 | WRESAT | Kosmos 194 | OV3-6 | OPS 5000 | OPS 1001 | Pioneer 8 · ERS-30 | Kosmos 195 | Kosmos 196 | Kosmos 197 | Kosmos 198 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets. |