# Intelsat III F-8

> Failed communications satellite

**Wikidata**: [Q14771237](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14771237)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelsat_III_F-8)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/intelsat-iii-f-8

## Summary
Intelsat III F-8 was a communications satellite that failed to fulfill its mission. It was launched on 23 July 1970 from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17 aboard a Delta M rocket and is recorded with COSPAR ID 1970-055A.

## Key Facts
- Intelsat III F-8 is classified as a communications satellite.
- The satellite is described in sources as a failed communications satellite.
- COSPAR identifier: 1970-055A.
- Satellite catalog number (SCN): 04478.
- Launch date: 1970-07-23.
- Launch site (start point): Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17.
- Launch vehicle: Delta M (American expendable launch vehicle).
- Significant event recorded: rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17 on 1970-07-23.
- Wikidata/wiki title: Intelsat III F-8; recorded in three Wikipedia language editions (en, lv, pt).
- Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/12qbgt3n5.

## FAQs
### Q: What happened to Intelsat III F-8?
A: Intelsat III F-8 is recorded as a failed communications satellite. The available data lists the satellite as having failed following its launch.

### Q: When and where was Intelsat III F-8 launched?
A: The satellite was launched on 23 July 1970 from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17.

### Q: What rocket launched Intelsat III F-8?
A: Intelsat III F-8 was launched aboard a Delta M expendable launch vehicle.

### Q: What identifiers are associated with Intelsat III F-8?
A: Its COSPAR ID is 1970-055A and its satellite catalog number (SCN) is 04478. The entity also appears in the Google Knowledge Graph as /g/12qbgt3n5.

## Why It Matters
Intelsat III F-8 is part of the historical record of early communications-satellite programs and their associated launch attempts. Even when missions do not succeed, entries like Intelsat III F-8 document the technical and operational risks inherent in satellite deployment and the launch systems used at the time. The satellite’s launch on 23 July 1970 from Cape Canaveral on a Delta M vehicle places it within the broader context of 1960s–1970s space operations, when builders and operators were rapidly developing satellite communications capability. Records of failed satellites contribute to program-level assessments, public historical accounts, and cataloging efforts (COSPAR and satellite catalog numbers) that track objects placed into space. For researchers and historians, such failures are data points for understanding program reliability, launch-vehicle performance, and the evolution of satellite engineering and launch practices.

## Notable For
- Being recorded explicitly as a failed communications satellite.
- Launch date of 23 July 1970 from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17.
- Use of a Delta M launch vehicle.
- Official identifiers: COSPAR ID 1970-055A and SCN 04478.
- Presence in multiple public records (Wikipedia entries in en, lv, pt) and the Google Knowledge Graph (/g/12qbgt3n5).

## Body
### Overview
- Name: Intelsat III F-8 (listed wikipedia_title).
- Classification: instance_of communications satellite.
- Description: recorded as a failed communications satellite (wikidata_description).

### Identifiers
- COSPAR ID: 1970-055A.
- Satellite catalog number (SCN): 04478.
- Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/12qbgt3n5.
- Wikipedia/Wikidata presence: entry exists; Wikipedia editions recorded include English, Latvian, and Portuguese. Sitelink count: 3.

### Launch details
- Launch date: 1970-07-23.
- Launch site (start_point): Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17.
- Launch vehicle: Delta M (American expendable launch vehicle).
- Significant event entry: rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17 on 1970-07-23.

### Related classes and context
- Related class: communications satellite — an artificial satellite designed for telecommunications.
- Related launch vehicle class: Delta M — American expendable launch vehicle.
- The available structured records associate Intelsat III F-8 primarily with its launch event, identifiers, classification as a communications satellite, and its failure status.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report