Clarke Belt Snapshot: comments

• From: Jean-Philippe Donnio <jpdonnio@dialup.francenet.fr>
• Date: Mon Dec 11 21:27:48 1995

WHAT'S NEW ON THE BELT? (commenting the 11 December snapshot file)
(c) Tag's Broadcasting Services, all rights reserved


New Satellites
--------------
Telecom 2C and Insat 2C were launched by ariane V81 last week (see JSR 267 for 
details). 

Telecom 2C is a hybrid satellite for data and digital TV links (C-band), 
military communications (X-band), and TV channels distribution (Ku-band). It 
will be located at 3 deg East.

Insat 2C is the first of the Insat 2 series to be for telecommunications only 
(no meteorology payload). Instead it carries 2 Ku-band transponders in addition
to the S- and C-band payload. I don't know where it will be located, maybe at
83 deg East to takeover Insat 1D's traffic.


Currently Drifting
------------------
Fleetsatcom 3 is drifting West
Raduga 31 is drifting East
Cosmos 1961 is drifting West
Cosmos 2133 is drifting West
Raduga 26 is drifting West
Palapa B1 is drifting West... EOL?
Intelsat 503 is drifting West


Old Satellites
--------------
Intelsat 504 has been deorbited between Nov 25 and 28. This geostationary
satellite was launched in 1982 and served in the Atlantic Ocean Region. It had
been waiting this final burn since Jul 1995 in 29.4 deg West. This satellite is
not the older of the Intelsat fleet: Intelsat 501 is still in service at 91.5
deg East and Intelsat 502 (the oldest, launched in Dec 1980) is located at 40.5
deg West. Intelsat 503 is currently drifting over the Pacific and will
eventually be deorbited or relocated at 72 deg East.

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