# Olympus-1

> communications satellite

**Wikidata**: [Q596005](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q596005)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus-1)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/olympus-1

## Summary
Olympus-1 is a European communications satellite and technology demonstration spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency. It was manufactured by British Aerospace and launched on 12 July 1989 aboard an Ariane 3 vehicle to geostationary orbit.

## Key Facts
- Olympus-1 is classified as a communications satellite and as a technology demonstration spacecraft.  
- Operator: European Space Agency.  
- Manufacturer: British Aerospace.  
- Launch date: 1989-07-12.  
- Launch vehicle: Ariane 3.  
- Launch site / start point recorded as Ensemble de Lancement Vega.  
- Mass at takeoff: 2,595 kilograms.  
- Orbit type / satellite_of: geostationary orbit.  
- COSPAR ID: 1989-053A.  
- Satellite catalog number (SCN): 20122.  
- Freebase ID: /m/0gyw_wz.  
- Wikipedia title: Olympus-1 (articles exist in ca, da, de, en, es, fi, fr, gl, pt).

## FAQs
### Q: What is Olympus-1?
A: Olympus-1 is a communications satellite that also served as a technology demonstration spacecraft. It was operated by the European Space Agency and built by British Aerospace.

### Q: When and how was Olympus-1 launched?
A: Olympus-1 was launched on 12 July 1989. The recorded launch vehicle was an Ariane 3 and the start point is given as Ensemble de Lancement Vega.

### Q: What orbit did Olympus-1 operate in?
A: Olympus-1 is listed as a satellite of geostationary orbit.

### Q: How heavy was Olympus-1 at launch?
A: Olympus-1 had a takeoff mass of 2,595 kilograms.

## Why It Matters
Olympus-1 represents a combination of two important roles in space operations: it is both a communications satellite—part of the infrastructure enabling telecommunications—and a technology demonstration spacecraft used to test or validate experimental technologies in orbit. Being built by British Aerospace and operated by the European Space Agency situates Olympus-1 within European efforts to advance satellite telecommunications capability and on-orbit technology maturation. Its placement into geostationary orbit on 12 July 1989, launched by an Ariane 3 vehicle, links it to the commercial and institutional launch activity of the late 1980s, and it forms part of the historical record of European spacecraft development. Identifiers such as COSPAR ID 1989-053A and satellite catalog number 20122 allow Olympus-1 to be tracked in international space object registries and technical databases, making it a documented asset for studies of satellite operations, orbital assignments, and technology demonstration outcomes.

## Notable For
- Classified simultaneously as a communications satellite and a technology demonstration spacecraft.  
- Launched by an Ariane 3 vehicle on 12 July 1989.  
- Operated by the European Space Agency and manufactured by British Aerospace.  
- Placed into geostationary orbit.  
- Recorded takeoff mass of 2,595 kilograms and catalog identifiers COSPAR 1989-053A and SCN 20122.

## Body

### Overview
- Name: Olympus-1.  
- Primary roles: communications satellite; technology demonstration spacecraft.  
- Operator: European Space Agency.  
- Manufacturer: British Aerospace.  
- Wikipedia presence: title "Olympus-1" with articles in multiple languages (ca, da, de, en, es, fi, fr, gl, pt).

### Design and specifications
- Takeoff mass: 2,595 kg.  
- Classified to perform telecommunications functions (as a communications satellite) and to host or demonstrate experimental technologies (as a technology demonstration spacecraft).

### Launch
- Launch date: 12 July 1989.  
- Launch vehicle: Ariane 3.  
- Start point / launch site entry: Ensemble de Lancement Vega.  
- Noted significant event: rocket launch at Ensemble de Lancement Vega on 1989-07-12.

### Orbit
- Satellite_of: geostationary orbit.

### Classification and roles
- Instance of: communications satellite (designed for telecommunications).  
- Also instance of: technology demonstration spacecraft (spacecraft used to demonstrate experimental technologies).

### Identification and cataloging
- COSPAR ID: 1989-053A.  
- Satellite catalog number (SCN): 20122.  
- Freebase ID: /m/0gyw_wz.  
- Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "20122"].

### Operator and manufacturer
- Operator: European Space Agency.  
- Manufacturer: British Aerospace.

### Presence in reference sources
- Wikipedia title: Olympus-1 (articles available in multiple languages).  
- Sitelink count recorded: 9.

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013