Which stranded satellite, also called Intelsat VI F-3, was captured on STS-49?

The stranded satellite captured on STS-49 was Intelsat 603, also known as Intelsat VI F-3.

Intelsat 603 launched on March 14, 1990, aboard a Commercial Titan III rocket. A failure involving the rocket’s upper stage left the communications satellite stranded in low Earth orbit instead of sending it toward geosynchronous orbit. NASA’s STS-49 mission was planned to rescue it by rendezvousing with the satellite, attaching a new perigee motor, and sending it onward.

The mission was Endeavour’s maiden flight, launched on May 7, 1992. Astronauts Richard Hieb and Pierre Thuot made repeated attempts to attach a capture bar using the shuttle’s Canadarm. After those attempts failed, Thomas Akers joined them in a hand capture while the orbiter maneuvered close to the 4,215-kilogram satellite.

The successful rescue required an unusual three-person spacewalk, the only one of its kind in spaceflight history. Once fitted with a replacement motor, Intelsat 603 was released and ultimately raised into geosynchronous orbit. Westar 6 and Palapa B2 were different satellites involved in other shuttle-related rescue efforts.