Intelsat 26

Intelsat 26 was known as JCSAT-5 before launch and as JCSAT-R until it was sold to Intelsat in 2009. It is a geostationary communications satellite designed and manufactured by Hughes (now Boeing) on the HS-601 platform. It was originally ordered by JSAT Corporation, which later merged into the SKY Perfect JSAT Group. It has a mixed K_u band and C band payload and was used as an on orbit spare.^[5][2]

Satellite description

The spacecraft was designed and manufactured by Hughes on the HS-601 satellite bus. It had a launch mass of 3,105 kg (6,845 lb), a dry mass of 1,841 kg (4,059 lb) and a 12 year design life. When stowed for launch, its dimensions were 2.8 m × 4.9 m × 3.8 m (9 ft 2 in × 16 ft 1 in × 12 ft 6 in). With its solar panels fully extended it spanned 26.2 m (86 ft), and its width when its antennas were fully deployed was 7.5 m (25 ft).^[5] Its power system generated approximately 5 kW of power thanks to two wings with four solar panels each.^[6][5] It also had a single NiH₂ battery composed of 30 cells and a 200Ah charge.^[5] It would serve as on orbit backup for the JSAT fleet.^[5]

Its propulsion system was composed of an R-4D-11-300 LAE with a thrust of 490 N (110 lb_f). It also used had 12 22 N (4.9 lb_f) bipropellant thrusters for station keeping and attitude control. It included enough propellant for orbit circularization and 12 years of operation.^[5]

Its payload is composed of four octagonal antenna fed by twelve 36 Mhz and sixteen 27 Mhz K_u band plus twelve 27 Mhz C band transponders for a total bandwidth of 1,296 MHz.^[6][5] Eight of the 36 Mhz and the sixteen 27 Mhz K_u band transponders have a TWTA output power of 63 Watts, the other four 36 Mhz ones have 95 Watts. It can configure four 27 MHz transponders into a single 54 MHz with an effective 125 Watts.^[5] The twelve C band transponders have 36 MHz bandwidth and 34 Watts of power.^[5]

History

On December 1995, JSAT ordered its fourth satellite from Hughes, and second of the HS-601 platform, the JCSAT-4. It was an almost copy of the JCSAT-3, also based on the HS-601, but with more powerful transponders. It would have a mixed K_u band and C band payload, a power generation capability of 5,000 Watts and a 12 year of design life. It was expected to be delivered by early 1997 and be positioned at the 124°East longitude. It would provide telecommunications and television services to Japan, all of Asia, Hawaii and Australia and New Zealand.^[5][7]

On March 25, 1996, International Launch Services announced a contract with JSAT for the launch of JCSAT-4 aboard an Atlas IIAS. At the time it was expected to launch on January 1997 from Cape Canaveral LC-36A launch pad. This was the second contract of ILS with JSAT after the successful launch of JCSAT-3 on August 1995.^[8]

On February 18, 1997 at 01:42:00 UTC, and Atlas IIAS launched from Cape Canaveral LC-36B with JCSAT-4 towards a geosynchronous transfer orbit.^[9] After the successful launch, it was renamed JCSAT-R. During its tenure as JCSAT-R it operated on the 124°East longitude.^[5] On August, 2008, JSAT was merged into the SKY Perfect JSAT Group.^[10]

In late 2009 Intelsat bought JCSAT-R and rechristened it Intelsat 26.^[11][5] On March 2010, Intelsat announced an agreement with Türksat for loaning Intelsat 26 so the latter could keep its orbital rights until a new satellite could be launched.^[11]

On July 2010 it was positioned at the 50°East longitude with a 3.4° inclination.^[12] By January 2013 the inclination had increased to 4.6°.^[13] On August 2016, the satellite was positioned at 64.1°East with a 6.97° inclination.^[14][4]

References