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| Westar 6 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Westar 6 |
| Mission type | Communications |
| Operator | Western Union |
| Spacecraft bus | HS-376 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Aircraft Company |
| Launch mass | 1,250 kg |
| Launch date | 1984-10-13 |
| Launch rocket | Space Shuttle Challenger STS-41-B |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A |
| Orbit | Geostationary transfer orbit (intended) |
Westar 6 was a commercial communications satellite built by Hughes Aircraft Company for Western Union that failed to reach its intended geostationary orbit after deployment from the Space Shuttle Challenger on STS-41-B. The satellite became notable for its involvement in an unprecedented on-orbit recovery effort that included an aborted retrieval attempt by NASA and later refurbishment by Intelsat, leading to a second successful launch and extended service life. The episode intersected with agencies and companies such as McDonnell Douglas, Martin Marietta, United States Air Force, Pan Am, and Arianespace in the broader context of 1980s commercial satellite operations.
Westar 6 was part of a series of communication satellites procured by Western Union to provide transcontinental and transoceanic telecommunications via C-band transponders. The program paralleled other commercial satellite programs like Intelsat V, Anik, Eutelsat I and competed with deployments by operators such as PanAmSat, Telesat Canada, and Inmarsat. The satellite's launch on STS-41-B placed it in a high-profile Cold War-era environment shared with missions involving Defense Satellite Communications System, Telecommunications Satellite Corporation, and private aerospace contractors like Hughes Space and Communications and Ford Aerospace.
Built on the spin-stabilized Hughes HS-376 platform, Westar 6 featured C-band repeater payloads similar to contemporaries like Satcom and Intelsat VI. Its configuration included a cylindrical bus, deployable reflectors, and a monopropellant propulsion system derived from designs by Hughes Aircraft Company engineers who had worked with contractors including Raytheon and Grumman. Mass and power characteristics aligned with customer requirements from Western Union executives familiar with satellite programs such as Syncom and Early Bird (Intelsat I). Telemetry, tracking, and command systems interfaced with ground control facilities used by operators such as Comsat and ground station networks like those managed by NASA Kennedy Space Center and the United States Geological Survey for orbital determination tasks.
The launch on 13 October 1984 aboard STS-41-B used the Space Shuttle Challenger stack, a mission that also carried payloads and experiments linked to entities like McDonnell Douglas, Rockwell International, and Sierra Engineering. After deployment, Westar 6 failed to achieve the planned perigee-raising burn due to malfunction of its attached solid-propellant boost motor, an incident comparable in public attention to anomalies that later affected missions such as Intelsat VA F-4 and Galaxy IV. The problem prompted coordination among NASA Marshall Space Flight Center engineers, Western Union program managers, and propulsion specialists from Thiokol and Aerojet, while orbital maneuver planning involved analysts from United States Space Command and tracking from facilities like Vandenberg Air Force Base.
After initial assessments, the stranded satellite became the focus of a daring retrieval plan by NASA, reminiscent of other shuttle-era on-orbit servicing concepts explored with Solar Maximum Mission and later executed with Hubble Space Telescope servicing flights. An attempted capture using the shuttle's Manned Maneuvering Unit and planned rendezvous techniques was aborted; the satellite was ultimately retrieved by a mission that engaged contractors including McDonnell Douglas and Martin Marietta for refurbishment. Ownership transferred to Intelsat, which refurbished the spacecraft, reconfigured its transponders, and redesignated it Intelsat VI F-3 prior to arranging a second launch. The refurbished satellite was relaunched successfully aboard an Arianespace Ariane 1/Ariane 2 era vehicle in a programmatic echo of recoveries and re-launches involving satellites such as Westar 4 and commercial returns managed by PanAmSat and Intelsat.
As Intelsat VI F-3, the satellite entered geostationary service providing C-band communications capacity to customers across the Atlantic Ocean corridor, supporting broadcasters, telecommunications carriers, and corporate networks similar to customers of Eutelsat, Telesat, and PanAmSat. Its operational tenure included traffic handing for broadcasters akin to HBO, NBC, and BBC and carriage of private data links comparable to those used by multinational corporations such as AT&T and MCI Communications. The satellite contributed to international connectivity in an era marked by deployments of Intelsat V, Intelsat VI, and regional systems like Eutelstat and SBS (satellite), while maintenance and station-keeping relied on orbital control centers with technical practices shared by Intelsat and former operators like COMSAT General.
The incident surrounding Westar 6 influenced operational doctrines at NASA, aerospace firms like Hughes, and international operators including Intelsat and PanAmSat regarding risk mitigation, contingency planning, and insurance underwriting practices used by providers such as Aon and Lloyd's of London. The episode advanced techniques for on-orbit servicing studied by research groups at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center, informing later missions like the Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions and sparking dialogue within forums such as International Telecommunication Union and industry organizations including the Satellite Industry Association. Lessons learned shaped procurement and launch policies involving carriers such as Arianespace, shuttle manifest planners at Johnson Space Center, and commercial insurers, affecting subsequent satellite programs like Intelsat VII and regional fleets deployed by Telesat and Eutelsat.
Category:Communications satellites