The Intelsat 5A series was derived from the Intelsat 5. Modifications included a larger communications payload with internal weight savings to accommodate the additional mass. The payload included 26 C-Band and 6 Ku-Band transponders, providing 15,000 voice circuits and two television channels.

The 5A series (F1-F6) was also known as Intelsat 5 (F10-F15). The spacecraft was 3-axis stabilized to 0.4 deg with momentum wheels and used a hydrazine propulsion system and passive thermal control. Dual solar arrays provided 1800 W (BOL) and charged nickel hydrogen batteries.

Design Life: 9 years. Length: 2.80 m (9.10 ft). Maximum Diameter: 2.10 m (6.80 ft). Span: 15.90 m (52.10 ft). Mass: 2,013 kg (4,437 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Ariane 2/3, Atlas G.

• 1985 June 30 - Intelsat 5A F-11 - Program: Intelsat. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Atlas G. Mass: 1,098 kg (2,420 lb). Perigee: 35,773 km (22,228 mi). Apogee: 35,799 km (22,244 mi). Inclination: 0.70 deg. Period: 1,436.10 min.

  Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 27 deg W in 1985-1990; 63 deg E in 1990-1992; 177 deg E in 1992-1994; 180 deg E in 1994-1997; 29 deg W in 1998-1999 As of 4 September 2001 located at 29.54 deg W drifting at 0.005 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 113.07W drifting at 0.696W degrees per day.

• 1985 March 22 - Intelsat 5A F-10 - Program: Intelsat. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Atlas G. Mass: 2,013 kg (4,437 lb). Perigee: 36,237 km (22,516 mi). Apogee: 36,468 km (22,660 mi). Inclination: 7.20 deg. Period: 1,465.10 min.

  Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 24 deg W in 1985-1990; 174 deg E in 1990-1994; 66 deg E in 1994-1995; 57 deg E in 1995-1996; 33 deg E in 1996-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 135.23 deg W drifting at 7.152 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 107.21W drifting at 7.157W degrees per day.

• 1985 September 28 - Intelsat 5A F-12 - Program: Intelsat. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Atlas G. Mass: 1,096 kg (2,416 lb). Perigee: 36,086 km (22,422 mi). Apogee: 36,140 km (22,450 mi). Inclination: 6.20 deg. Period: 1,452.80 min.

  Telephone communications; 31 deg E. Launch vehicle put payload into geosynchronous transfer orbit Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 60 deg E in 1985-1989; 1 deg W in 1989-1994; 21 deg W in 1994-1996; 56 deg W in 1996-1998 As of 28 August 2001 located at 145.57 deg E drifting at 4.159 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 10 located at 19.14E drifting at 4.163W degrees per day.

• 1986 May 31 - Intelsat-5A 14 - Program: Intelsat. Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 2/3. FAILURE: Third stage ignition failure. Destroyed by range safety.

  Targeted for geosynch orbit.

• 1988 May 17 - Intelsat 5A F-13 - Program: Intelsat. Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 2/3. Mass: 2,013 kg (4,437 lb). Perigee: 35,776 km (22,230 mi). Apogee: 35,800 km (22,200 mi). Inclination: 0.10 deg. Period: 1,436.20 min.

  Replaced Intelsat 5 F-3; 53 deg W. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 53 deg W in 1988-1995; 177 deg W in 1995-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 177.08 deg W drifting at 0.009 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 8 located at 44.56W drifting at 6.109W degrees per day.

• 1989 January 27 - Intelsat 5A F-15 - Program: Intelsat. Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 2/3. Mass: 1,977 kg (4,358 lb). Perigee: 35,773 km (22,228 mi). Apogee: 35,801 km (22,245 mi). Inclination: 0.00 deg. Period: 1,436.20 min.

  International communications; 18 deg W. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 60 deg E in 1989-1992; 18 deg W in 1992-1996; 22 deg W in 1996-1997; 38 deg W in 1998-1999 As of 5 September 2001 located at 37.72 deg W drifting at 0.020 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 9 located at 153.76E drifting at 4.192W 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.

• Lockheed Martin Coporation, Atlas Family Fact Sheets, September 1998.. Accessed at: http://www.lmco.com/ILS/txtmain/ils_lsysinfo.htm.

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