Telstar

Telstar
Model of a Telstar satellite, on display at Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
ManufacturerHughes, EADS Astrium, Space Systems/Loral, Airbus Defence and Space
Country of originUnited States
OperatorAT&T, Telesat
ApplicationsCommunications
Specifications
RegimeMedium Earth / Geostationary
Production
StatusIn service
Launched21
Universal newsreel about Telstar 1

Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the first television pictures, telephone calls, and telegraph images, and provided the first live transatlantic television feed. Telstar 2 was launched May 7, 1963. Telstar 1 and 2—though no longer functional—still orbit the Earth.[1]

  1. ^ "1962-ALPHA EPSILON 1". US Space Objects Registry. June 19, 2013. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.