To continue communications services provided by the communications satellite 2 (CS-2). To meet increasing and diversifying demands for communications. To develop technologies for communications satellites. Launch vehicle H18F. Launching organization NASDA.

Typical orbit: 35787 km x 35789 km at 0 degrees inclination. Mass: 1,100 kg (2,400 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: H-1.

• 1988 February 19 - Sakura 3A - Program: CS. Launch Site: Tanegashima. Launch Vehicle: H-1. Mass: 1,100 kg (2,400 lb). Perigee: 36,376 km (22,602 mi). Apogee: 36,415 km (22,627 mi). Inclination: 4.90 deg. Period: 1,467.30 min.

  Stationed at 132 deg E. CS-3A (Sakura 3-A). To continue communications services provided by the communications satellite 2 (CS-2). To meet increasing and diversifying demands for communications. To develop technologies for communications satellites. Launch vehicle H18F. Launchin g organization NASDA. Launch time 1005 GMT. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 132 deg E in 1988-1996 As of 2 September 2001 located at 85.60 deg E drifting at 7.699 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 71.73E drifting at 7.700W degrees per day.

• 1988 September 16 - Sakura 3B - Program: CS. Launch Site: Tanegashima. Launch Vehicle: H-1. Mass: 1,100 kg (2,400 lb). Perigee: 36,071 km (22,413 mi). Apogee: 36,093 km (22,427 mi). Inclination: 4.00 deg. Period: 1,451.20 min.

  Telephone communications; 136 deg E. CS-3B (Sakura 3-B). To continue communications services provided by the communications satellite 2 (CS-2). To meet increasing and diversifying demands for communications; to develop technologies for communications satellites. Launch vehicle H-I (H19F). La unching organization NASDA. Launch time 0959 GMT. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 149 deg E in 1988; 136 deg E in 1988-1997; 154 deg E in 1997 As of 28 August 2001 located at 128.96 deg W drifting at 3.783 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 177.82E drifting at 3.765W degrees per day.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited since Sputnik. Accessed at: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.