Intelsat 907 (or IS-907[1]) was a communications satellite operated by Intelsat.

Intelsat 907
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorIntelsat[1][2]
COSPAR ID2003-007A[1]
SATCAT no.27683[1]
Mission durationPlanned: 13 years;[1]
Achieved: 17 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeSSL 1300HL[1]
ManufacturerSpace Systems/Loral[1]
Launch mass4,685.0 kg (10,328.7 lb)[1]
Dry mass1,973.0 kg (4,349.7 lb)[1]
Powerwatts
Start of mission
Launch dateFebruary 15, 2003, 07:00 (2003-02-15UTC07Z) UTC[3]
RocketAriane 44L H10-3[2]
Launch siteKourou ELA-2[2]
ContractorArianespace
End of mission
DisposalGraveyard orbit
Deactivated2 April 2020 [4]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeGeostationary
Longitude27.5° west[1][5]
Semi-major axis42,164.0 km (26,199.5 mi)[5]
Perigee altitude35,775.1 km (22,229.6 mi)[5]
Apogee altitude35,812.9 km (22,253.1 mi)[5]
Inclination0.0°[5]
Period1,436.1 minutes[5]
EpochMay 23, 2017[5]
Transponders
Band72 C band and 23 Ku band
Bandwidth36 MHz
Coverage areaAfrica, Australia, Europe, India, Russia
EIRP36-48 dBW (C band) 53 dBW (Ku band)
Intelsat 9
Intelsat 10-02 (Intelsat 10) →

Launch

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Intelsat 907 was launched by an Ariane 4 rocket from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, at 06:44 UTC on February 15, 2003.[6]

Capacity and coverage

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The 4.7 tonne spacecraft provided data-relay among installations in North America, South America, Western Europe and Africa through its array of C band and Ku band transponders after parking over 27.5 degrees west longitude. It replaced the aging Intelsat 605.[6]

Replacement

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On 2 April 2020, the Intelsat 907 was replaced by the Intelsat 901 satellite. Before this, Intelsat 901 had been taken out of operation (having operated for about 18 years in another orbital slot) and moved into graveyard orbit where it docked with Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1), a satellite service craft. MEV-1 then took responsibility of propulsion and attitude control of the satellite pair. The satellites then descended back to geostationary arc, where Intelsat 901 then replaced Intelsat 907's communications responsibilities. Intelsat 901 took over from Intelsat 907 on 2 April 2020. It is expected that the Intelsat 901 will operate for five more years, after which MEV-1 will again raise it to graveyard orbit for decommissioning.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Intelsat 907 (IS-907)". SatBeams – Satellite Details. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Krebs, Gunter. "Intelsat 9 (901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  3. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Intelsat-901 satellite, with MEV-1 servicer attached, resumes service". 17 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "INTELSAT 907". N2YO. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Intelsat 907". NSSDC Master Catalog. Retrieved May 23, 2017.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.