Jun 8 1982
From The Space Library
NASA launched Western Union's Westar 5 commercial communications satellites from ESMC at 8:23 p.m. EDT on a Delta into a transfer orbit with 36,469 kilometer apogee, 167-kilometer perigee, and 27.5 ° inclination. Firing of a booster at 5:20 p.m. June 11 would move it to station at 123°W over the equator.
Westar 5, heaviest of the series of satellites owned and operated by Western Union, weighed 585 pounds in synchronous orbit, was double the size of Westar 1, Westar 2, and Westar 3, and had about four times their capacity. Like Westar 4 it had 24 transponder channels, all under lease; a 10-year design life; and 40% more transmitting power than most domestic communications satellites. It would replace Westar 2 in service. (NASA Release 82-82; NASA Dly Acty Rpt, June 9/82; NASA MOR 0-492-203-82-05 [postlaunch] July 6/82; NASA Wkly SSR, June 10/82; NY Times, June 10/82, D-4)
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