Artist's impresion of an Intelsat 5 communications satellite, 1980.

This satellite, the first in the new series of Intelsats, was in fact launched after the second one, on 23rd May 1981. Nine Intelsat 5 satellites were launched between 1980 and 1984. INTELSAT, the International Telecommunciation Satellite Organisation, is jointly owned by all its member nations and has established a worldwide system of satellites which provide most of the world's international communications.