It was originally ordered by Space Communications Corporation (SCC), which later merged into the SKY Perfect JSAT Group.
[3] It was supposed to be used for video distribution, news gathering, remote publishing and high definition TV service to the main islands of Japan and Okinawa from the 162° East position.
It was based on the design of the Intelsat V series and offered a three-axis stabilized platform.
[3] Its propulsion system included an R-4D-11 liquid apogee engine (LAE) with a thrust of 490 N (110 lbf).
[3] Space Communications Corporation (SCC) was founded in 1985, the same year as the original companies that later formed JSAT.