NATO IVB
| NATO IVB | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Communications satellite |
| Country: |
 United Kingdom
|
| Operator: |
 NATO
|
| COSPAR-ID : | 1993-076A |
| Mission dates | |
| Dimensions: | 1430 kg |
| Begin: | December 8, 1993, 12:48 UTC |
| Starting place: | Cape Canaveral , LC-17A |
| Launcher: | Delta II 7925 D224 |
| Status: | in orbit |
| Orbit data | |
| Rotation time : | 1436 min |
| Track height: | 35800 km |
| Orbit inclination : | 9.9 ° |
NATO IVB (also NATO 4B or USA 98 ) is a British communications satellite belonging to NATO , which has been in geosynchronous earth orbit since December 8, 1993 .
It was built by Matra -Marconi Space Systems and British Aerospace Space Systems. Astrium was both prime contractor and payload contractor for the UK Department of Defense's Skynet-4 satellites. Its task is to ensure military communication between troops and headquarters . The life span of the satellite is coming to an end. NATO will not replace it with a new one, but rather lease capacities from member states' military satellites.