NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1991-003A
Italy's first national communications satellite, ITALSAT 1 was dual launched aboard an Ariane 44L booster from Kourou, French Guiana. Placed in geosynchronous orbit above 13.2 deg. e, the satellite served as a spaceborne telephone switchboard, redirecting up to 12,000 calls at once. ITALSAT was experimental in nature, a pre-operational component of a proposed digital satellite network for Italy. Built by Selenia Spazio for Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (the Italian Space Agency), ITALSAT 1 was box-shaped, measuring 2.72 by 2.22 by 3.48 m. It was 6.1 m tall with its two 2-m reflector antennas deployed. Solar arrays spanned 21 m and provided 1,600 W of power. Its communications package housed six 20/30 GHz multibeam transponders, three 20/30 GHz global beam transponders and a propagation experiment operating at 40/50 GHz. The multibeam system, using advanced time division multiple access (TDMA) techniques, was expected to undergo two years of testing; the global beam system was considered operational from the start and was used to test new services. ITALSAT 1 had a 5-year design life, but the accuracy of its orbital insertion saved maneuvering fuel, giving it a predicted 2-year life extension.
Launch Date: 1991-01-15
Launch Vehicle: Ariane 44L
Launch Site: Kourou, French Guiana
Mass: 1867 kg
Nominal Power: 1600 W
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office