July 10th Anniversary

46 years ago

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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

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!

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