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Arabsat-1B

Saudi Arabian communications satellite


Saudi Arabian communications satellite

FieldValue
nameArabsat-1B
imageSTS-51-G Arabsat 1-B deployment.jpg
image_captionDeployment of Arabsat-1B from STS-51-G
mission_typeCommunication
operatorArabsat
COSPAR_ID1985-048C
mission_duration7 years
spacecraft_busSpacebus 100
manufacturerAérospatiale
launch_mass1270 kg
launch_dateUTC
launch_rocket
STS-51-G / PAM-D
launch_siteKennedy LC-39A
launch_contractorNASA
deactivated
orbit_referenceGeocentric
orbit_regimeGeostationary
orbit_period24 hours
orbit_longitude26° East
apsisgee
trans_band2 E/F-band
25 G/H-Band

STS-51-G / PAM-D

25 G/H-Band Arabsat-1B was a Saudi Arabian communications satellite which was operated by Arabsat. It was used to provide communication services to the Arab States. It was constructed by Aérospatiale, based on the Spacebus 100 satellite bus, and carried two NATO E/F-band (IEEE S band) and twenty five NATO G/H-Band (IEEE C band) transponders. At launch, it had a mass of 1270 kg, and an expected operational lifespan of seven years.

History

Arabsat-1B was launched aboard on mission STS-51-G. Discovery was launched from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 11:33:00 GMT on 17 June 1985. It was deployed from Discovery, and boosted to a geosynchronous transfer orbit by means of a PAM-D upper stage. Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud flew aboard the Shuttle to supervise deployment, becoming the first Saudi citizen and first member of royalty to fly in space. Morelos 1 and Telstar 303 were also deployed on the same mission.

Arabsat 1B was placed into a geosynchronous orbit at a longitude of 26° East. In October 1991, a problem developed with the spacecraft's attitude control system, causing it to drift eastward out of control. The same fault had developed aboard its sister satellite, Arabsat-1A, a month earlier. It failed completely in early 1992.

References

References

  1. Krebs, Gunter. "Arabsat 1A, 1B, 1C / Insat 2DT". Gunter's Space Page.
  2. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page.
  3. Wade, Mark. "Arabsat". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
  4. "Arabsat 1B". TSE.
  5. "Arabsat 1A". TSE.
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