Intelsat VA F-13 was part of an advanced series of satellites designed to provide greater telecommunications capacity for Intelsat's global network.

The arrays, supplemented by nickel-hydrogen batteries during eclipse, provided 1800 watts of power at mission onset, approximately 1280 watts at the end of its seven-year design life.

It could accommodate 15,000 two-way voice circuits and two TV channels simultaneously.

[3] The satellite was successfully launched into space on 17 May 1988, at 23:58:00 UTC, by means of an Ariane 2 vehicle from the Centre Spatial Guyanais, Kourou, French Guiana.

Intelsat 513 was sold to New Satellite Skies on 30 November 1998, and renamed NSS-513.