Telstar 303

Telstar 303[1] is a U.S. communications satellite launched from Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-51-G on 17 June 1985. Owned by AT&T and operated by Loral Skynet Hughes Communications, it was one of three Telstar 3 satellites, preceded by Telstar 301 in 1983 and Telstar 302 in 1984.

Telstar 303
Telstar 303 satellite in orbit
Mission typeCommunications satellite
OperatorAT&T → Loral Skynet
COSPAR ID1985-048D
SATCAT no.15826
Mission duration10 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
BusLS-1300
ManufacturerHughes Communications
Launch mass1,140 kg (2,510 lb)
BOL mass653 kg (1,440 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date17 June 1985, 11:33:00 UTC
RocketSpace Shuttle Discovery
Launch siteJohn F. Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
ContractorRockwell International
End of mission
DisposalGraveyard orbit
Deactivated1999
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeGeostationary orbit
Longitude125° West
Transponders
BandC-band
Coverage areaNorth America, Hawaii, Puerto Rico
 

Description

The satellite served as the U.S. west coast and mid-west home satellite (C-band) with 48 transponders for the ABC network from 1984 to 1993. The CBS network used the satellite from 1985 to 1993. It also served as telephone call transfer for remote areas until 1993.

Other entities that used the satellite included Group W, Wold/Keystone Communications (which used the satellite to feed Paramount Television's syndicated output including Entertainment Tonight, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Compact Video, Lorimar-Telepictures, and Warner Bros. Television.

In 1987, Melvin Rosen and Stuart Levin acquired 17 transponders on Telstar 303 satellite for the purpose of creating the first and largest multi-channel pay-per-view satellite TV system to serve the C-band satellite TV market. In 1993, as the satellite was about to retire, a group of business owners including General Instruments, TVN Entertainment, Parallex Data Systems, and Enterprises put together programs systems and home units to bring affordable IPPV (Impulse-Pay-Per-View) and PPV (Pay-per-view) entertainment to the home. Acquiring Telstar 303 required moving it from 125° to 104° West and a little changing of internal code to extend battery life and accept its new job parameters.

The satellite was retired in 1999 and replaced by Telstar 401.[2] All three of the Telstar 4 series satellite met with disaster and are still in orbit in a graveyard orbit.[3]

References
  1. Krebs, Gunter. "dipl.phys". Telstar3. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  2. Krebs, Gunter. "Telstar4". Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  3. McDowell, Jonathan (October 2015). "Satellite Catalog". Retrieved 25 March 2016.
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