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INTELSAT V was built by FORD AEROSPACE (with Marconi as a sub-contractor). First launched in 1980. Original contract was for 7 satellites. Eventually 15 were ordered and 13 are now in orbit. 2 were destroyed on launch - Atlas/Ariane. The satellites are 3 axis stabilised. A total of 440 transponders launched. Only 1 has stopped working. Design lifetime of 2 years for these parts. Said to have cost INTELSAT $650 million. The $650 million is made by INTELSAT each year by charging the 'phone companies that use it The INTELSAT system has been in operation since the mid 1960's, and the satellites (spacecraft) in use have changed over the years. For the most part, the replacements of the satellites can be attributed to the failures they incur over their lifetime. There have been at the least eight distinctive generations or series of satellites used in the system and often there have b