FIRST REPEATER COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LAUNCHED
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) On October 4, 1960, Courier 1B, the world's first active repeater communications satellite, was launched successfully from the Atlantic Missile Range here at the Cape. Courier 1A, launched on August 18, 1960, was lost 2.5 minutes after liftoff.
Courier 1B, built by Western Development Laboratories*, weighed 496 pounds and measured 51 inches in diameter. The satellite was designed to receive messages and photographs, then store and re-transmit them.
The Courier project was a joint effort of the Department of Defense and the Army Signal Research and Development Laboratory.
The satellite failed after 228 orbits and 17 days in space.
*Western Development Laboratories was part of the Space Systems Division of Aeronutronic Philco-Ford Corporation founded in 1956. The company ceased operations in 1990.
Courier 1B
U.S. Army Photo
