Intelsat 708
Intelsat 708 was a telecommunications satellite built by the American company Space Systems/Loral intended to be launched into a geostationary orbit and operated by Intelsat. It was destroyed during a launch failure on 15 February 1996, causing a large number of fatalities near the Xichang Satellite Launch Center near Xichang, People's Republic of China, prompting political controversy around the world.
Launch failure
The Intelsat 708 satellite was to be launched aboard a Long March 3B rocket. This rocket failed at launch due to an engineering defect and crashed into a village near the launch site (probably Mayelin village) in an enormous explosion, destroying much of it and killing an unknown number of inhabitants.
The nature and extent of the damage remain a subject of dispute; the Chinese government, through its official Xinhua news agency, reported that six people were killed and 57 injured. However, outside estimates suggest that anywhere between 200 to 500 people might have been killed in the crash; "hundreds" of people had gathered to witness the launch. Reporters were detained at the center for 5 hours, and when they were being taken away from the site they reported that most buildings had sustained serious damage or had been flattened completely. Some eyewitnesses were noted as having seen many flatbed trucks, loaded with what could have been human remains, being taken to the local hospital and dozens of ambulances. Later analysis by the Space Review, however, indicates that the total population of the village hit was under 1000, with most if not all the population evacuated before launch, making it "very unlikely" that there were hundreds of deaths.
Intelsat
Intelsat, S.A. is a communications satellite services provider.
Originally formed as International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT), it was—from 1964 to 2001—an intergovernmental consortium owning and managing a constellation of communications satellites providing international broadcast services.
As of March 2011, Intelsat operates a fleet of 52 communications satellites, which is one of the world's largest fleet of commercial satellites. They claim to serve around 1,500 customers and employ a staff of approximately 1,100 people.
History
The intergovernmental organization (IGO) began on 20 August 1964, with 11 participating countries. On 6 April 1965, Intelsat’s first satellite, the Intelsat I (nicknamed Early Bird), was placed in geostationary orbit above the Atlantic Ocean by a Delta D rocket.
In 1973, the name was changed and there were 80 signatories. Intelsat provides service to over 600 Earth stations in more than 149 countries, territories and dependencies. By 2001, INTELSAT had over 100 members. It was also this year that INTELSAT privatized and changed its name to Intelsat.
Intelsat 605
Intelsat 605, previously named Intelsat VI F-5, was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat. Launched in 1991, it was the fourth of five Intelsat VI satellites to be launched. The Intelsat VI series was constructed by Hughes Aircraft, based on the HS-389 satellite bus.
Intelsat 605 was launched at 23:15:13 UTC on 14 August 1991, atop an Ariane 4 44L carrier rocket, flight number V45. The launch took place from ELA-2 at Kourou, and placed Intelsat 605 into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. The satellite raised itself into its final geostationary orbit using two liquid-fuelled R-4D-12 engines, with the satellite arriving in geostationary orbit on 20 August 1991.
Intelsat 605 initially operated in a geostationary orbit with a perigee of 35,756 kilometres (22,218 mi), an apogee of 35,818 kilometres (22,256 mi), and 0 degrees of inclination. The satellite carried 38 IEEE C band and ten IEEE Ku band transponders, and had a design life of 13 years and a mass of 4,296 kilograms (9,471 lb).
Intelsat 20
Intelsat 20 is a geostationary communications satellite which is operated by Intelsat. It was constructed by Space Systems Loral, and is based on the LS-1300 satellite bus. It was launched on 2 August 2012, and replaces the Intelsat 7 and Intelsat 10 spacecraft at 68.5º East longitude. It is fully operational since September 2012.
Intelsat 20 carries 24 IEEE C-band (NATO G/H-band), 54 IEEE Ku band (NATO J-band) transponders and 1 Ka band transponder. The C-band covers the Asia-Pacific region, while the Ku band transponders is used for Direct to Home broadcasting to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The Ka band payload provides coverage to the Middle East and Central Asia
