Launched in 1966 it was intended for operations in geostationary orbit over the Pacific Ocean to provide a communications link between Australia and the United States, however a malfunction prevented the satellite from reaching its planned orbit.

[1] Intelsat II F-1 was launched atop a Delta E1 rocket flying from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

[2] The launch, which was successful, took place at 23:05:00 UTC on October 26, 1966, with the spacecraft entering a geosynchronous transfer orbit as planned.

The spacecraft was left in its transfer orbit, unable to complete its primary mission, however it was used for some tests and limited communications.

[5] As of 2 May 2023 it was in an orbit with a perigee of 3,265 kilometers (2,029 mi), an apogee of 37,121 kilometers (23,066 mi), inclination of 17.70 degrees and an orbital period of 11.97 hours.