Intelsat III F-4 was a

geostationary A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit''Geostationary orbit'' and ''Geosynchronous (equatorial) orbit'' are used somewhat interchangeably in sources. (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit in altitud ...

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

built by TRW, it was owned by

Intelsat Intelsat S.A. (formerly INTEL-SAT, INTELSAT, Intelsat) is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as I ...

, a company currently based in Luxembourg. The satellite had an estimated useful life of 5 years. The Intelsat III F-4 was part of the Intelsat III series which consisted of eight satellites, which were used for retransmission of global commercial

telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...

, including live TV. The satellite was stabilized by rotation with a minus antenna structure (its antenna was 34 inches high). It had a hydrazine propulsion system with four propellers and four tanks. Passive thermal control. With solar cells producing 178W peak, nine Ahr NiCd batteries. The load consisted of two transponders that used 12 watt TWTA amplifiers for multiple access, 1500 audio circuits or four TV channels. The Intelsat III F-1 was disabled due to launch vehicle failure. The satellite was successfully launched into space on May 22, 1969, by means of a Delta M vehicle from

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida. Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the statio ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It had a launch mass of 293 kg.Krebs, Gunter
Intelsat 3
''Gunter's Space Page''. Retrieved 19 April 2017.

References

{{Intelsat Spacecraft launched in 1969 Intelsat satellites