United States Air ForceAtlas SLV-3D CentaurLaunch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Intelsat 501
Launched
May 23, 1981
Image: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Summary
Intelsat 501 launched on an United States Air Force Atlas SLV-3D Centaur from Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on May 23, 1981. It was United States Air Force's 770th launch, 6th this year and humanity's 2,443rd orbital launch attempt. It was the 27th Atlas SLV-3D Centaur flight and the 2nd this year. The payload was bound for Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO). INTELSAT 501, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 180 × 35,966 km orbit inclined 24.1°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Atlas SLV-3D Centaur · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO)
- Milestone
- 27th Atlas SLV-3D Centaur flight · 2nd this yearUnited States Air Force's 770th launch6th this yearhumanity's 2,443rd orbital launch attempt52nd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
INTELSAT 501 · NORAD 12474 · 1981-050 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- INTELSAT 501
- Object ID
- 1981-050A
- Epoch
- 1981-05-23 17:56:01 UTC
- Mean motion
- 2.27164712 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.7319973
- Inclination
- 24.131°
- Ascending node
- 42.174°
- Arg. of perigee
- 178.8559°
- Mean anomaly
- 184.9809°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0.000099999
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: Direct-GEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; 1 still in orbit
- INTELSAT 501 · NORAD 12474
Centaur AC-56 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Geostationary communications satellite
Pad
Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
27th launch from Launch Complex 36B, 1st this year · 373rd from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
76 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
167 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Intelsat 501 launch?
Intelsat 501 launched on May 23, 1981. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Intelsat 501?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Intelsat 501?
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur, flown by United States Air Force. Atlas SLV-3D Centaur spec sheet
Where did Intelsat 501 launch from?
Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did Intelsat 501 reach?
INTELSAT 501, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 180 × 35,966 km orbit inclined 24.1°.
How many satellites did Intelsat 501 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).