Arabsat-1A
| Mission type | Communication |
|---|---|
| Operator | Arabsat |
| COSPAR ID | 1985-015A |
| SATCAT no. | 15560 |
| Mission duration | 7 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
Spacebus 100 | |
| Manufacturer | Aérospatiale |
| Launch mass | 1170 kg |
| Dry mass | 532 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 8 February 1985, 23:22:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Kourou, ELA-1 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | March 1992 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary |
| Longitude | 19.0° East |
| Perigee altitude | 33911 km |
| Apogee altitude | 35849 km |
| Inclination | 0.2° |
| Period | 1390.1 minutes |
| Epoch | 8 February 1985 |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 2 S-band 25 C-Band |
Arabsat-1A (
Spacebus 100 satellite bus, and carries two NATO E/F-band (IEEE S band) and 25 NATO G/H-Band (IEEE C band) transponders. At launch, it had a mass of 1,170 kilograms (2,580 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of seven years.[2]
Arabsat-1A was launched by Arianespace using an Ariane 3 rocket flying from ELA-1 at Kourou. The launch took place at 23:22:00 UTC on 8 February 1985.[3] It was the first Spacebus satellite to be launched. Immediately after launch, one of its solar panels failed to deploy, resulting in reduced performance. It was placed into a geosynchronous orbit at a longitude of 19.0° East.[4] Following a series of gyroscope malfunctions, it was retired from active service, and remained operational as a backup.[2][5] In September 1991, another problem developed with the spacecraft's attitude control system, and it began to drift eastward. It failed completely in March 1992.[6]
See also
References
- ^ إنفجار الفضائيات العربية : الأبعاد و الأهداف و التأثيرات الثقافية - الأسد الأسد - Google Books (in Arabic)
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Arabsat 1A, 1B, 1C / Insat 2DT". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Arabsat". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
- ISBN 0-387-21519-0.
- ^ "Arabsat 1A". TSE. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.