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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Earth Observations _ TelStar

Posted by: PDP8E Jul 9 2008, 08:34 PM

July 10th Anniversary

46 years ago

Launched by NASA aboard a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral on July 10, 1962, Telstar was the first privately sponsored space launch. A medium-altitude satellite, Telstar was placed in an elliptical orbit (completed once every 2 hours and 37 minutes), revolving at a 45 degree angle above the equator. Because of this, its transmission availability for transatlantic signals was only 20 minutes in each orbit.

more at Wikipedia and other sources...

Cheers

Posted by: tasp Jul 10 2008, 12:23 PM

Telstar also highlighted the need for radiation hardening, as after launch it was 'menaced' by rad waste from a high altitude nuke test.

Recall in just a decade the launches of Pioneer 10 and 11 to brave the Jupiter radiation belts!

Posted by: PhilCo126 Jul 10 2008, 07:47 PM

Next issue of BIS Spaceflight, probably September 2008, will have an article on TelStar