| Intelsat VA F-12 → Intelsat 512 | |
| Mission Type: | Communication |
| Operator: | Intelsat |
| Cospar Id: | 1985-087A [1] |
| Satcat: | 16101 |
| Mission Duration: | 7 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft Bus: | Intelsat VA |
| Manufacturer: | Ford Aerospace |
| Dry Mass: | 1098 kg |
| Launch Mass: | 1981 kg |
| Power: | 1800 watts |
| Launch Date: | 29 September 1985, 23:36:00 UTC [2] |
| Launch Rocket: | Atlas G-Centaur D1AR (AC-65) |
| Launch Site: | CCAFS, LC-36B |
| Launch Contractor: | General Dynamics |
| Dimensions: | 1.66 x 2.1 x 1.77 metres |
| Disposal Type: | Graveyard orbit |
| Deactivated: | July 1998 |
| Orbit Epoch: | 29 September 1985 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric orbit |
| Orbit Regime: | Geostationary orbit |
| Orbit Longitude: | 34.5° West (1985-1991) 1.0° West (1991-1994) 21.5° West (1994-1996) 55.5° West (1996-1998) |
| Apsis: | gee |
| Trans Band: | 26 C-band 6 Ku-band |
| Programme: | Intelsat V |
| Previous Mission: | Intelsat VA F-11 |
| Next Mission: | Intelsat VA F-13 |
Intelsat VA F-12, then named Intelsat 512, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in September 1985, it was the twelfth of fifteen Intelsat V satellites to be launched. The Intelsat V series was constructed by Ford Aerospace, based on the Intelsat VA satellite bus. Intelsat VA F-12 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for Intelsat's global network.
The satellite was box-shaped, measuring 1.66 by 2.1 by 1.77 metres; solar arrays spanned 15.9 metres tip to tip. The arrays, supplemented by nickel-hydrogen batteries during eclipse, provided 1800 watts of power at mission onset, approximately 1280 watts at the end of its seven-year design life. The payload housed 26 C-band and 6 Ku-band transponders. It could accommodate 15,000 two-way voice circuits and two TV channels simultaneously. It also provided maritime communications for ships at sea.[3]
The satellite was successfully launched into space on 29 September 1985, at 23:36:00 UTC, by means of an Atlas G-Centaur D1AR vehicle from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, United States. It had a launch mass of 1981 kg.[4] The satellite was deactivated in July 1998.[4]