NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1990-034A
Five and a half years after the shuttle rescued it from an unusable orbit, Palapa B-2R was relaunched by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral. The Indonesian communications satellite's origical flight was cut short in February 1984, when an upper stage malfunction left it in low-earth orbit, far from its geosynchronous destination. Nine months later, Palapa B-2 and another stranded craft, Westar 6, were retrieved by STS-51A and returned to earth. The refurbished satellite, built for Permutel by Hughes Space and Communications Group, provided voice, video, and data services to the 13,677 Indonesian islands. Palapa B2R's 24 C-band transponders handled 12,000 simultaneous telephone calls or 24 TV broadcasts. One of the Hughes HS 376 series, Palapa was a 2.1-m drum, 2.8 m high. With solar drum and antenna reflector deployed, height was 6.6 m. Solar panels provided 1,062 W at beginning of life, expected to be 10 years. Stationed above 1.7.7 deg. e, it joined Palapa B1 and Palapa B-2P.
Launch Date: 1990-04-13
Launch Vehicle: Delta
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States
Mass: 650 kg
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office