Status
Success
Superbird-B1 & Arabsat-1C
Wed Feb 26, 1992 23:58 UTC
Flight V49.
Rocket
Mission Details
Superbird-B1
Superbird-B1, sometimes identified as Superbird-1B, was a geostationary communications satellite designed and manufactured by Ford Aerospace (now SSL MDA) on the SSL 1300 platform. It was originally ordered by Space Communications Corporation (SCC), which later merged into the SKY Perfect JSAT Group. It had a mixed Ku band, Ka band, and X band payload and was rushed into launch to the 162°E longitude due to the launch failure of Superbird-B.
It was ordered in 1985 along with Superbird-A, Superbird-B, and Superbird-A1 on the very first order of the SSL 1300 platform. It was also the second satellite of SCC in orbit and the fourth commercial satellite of Japan to enter operations. It was used for video distribution, news gathering, remote publishing, and high-definition TV service to the main islands of Japan and Okinawa.
Arabsat-1C
INSAT-2DT, previously Arabsat-1C and also known as INSAT-2R, was a Saudi Arabian and subsequently Indian communications satellite that was operated initially by Arabsat, and then by the Indian National Satellite System.
Launched in 1992 as Arabsat-1C, it was operated at 31° East longitude in geostationary orbit, from where it was used to provide communication services to the Arab States. It was constructed by Aérospatiale, based on the Spacebus 100 satellite bus, and carried two NATO E/F-band (IEEE S-band) and 25 NATO G/H-Band (IEEE C band) transponders. At launch, it had a mass of 1,170 kilograms (2,580 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of seven years.