COURIER IB COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LAUNCHED FROM CAPE CANAVERAL
Cape Canaveral, Florida (JFK+50) On October 4, 1960, the United States Army and Air Force "launched a 500 pound earth satellite designed to provide data for advanced military communication in space."
Courier IB*, is 51 inches in diameter and loaded with 300 pounds of electronic equipment.
The goal is a circular orbit about 600 miles above the earth.
Two monitoring stations have been set up for Courier IB, one in New Jersey and the other in Puerto Rico.
JFK+50 NOTE
Courier IB quit working after 228 earth orbits over a period of 17 days.
*Courier IB was the 1st active repeater communication satellite. It was built by Western Development Labs, a division of Philco. CIB could transmit, receive & store 68,000 coded words per minute.
SOURCE
"U.S. Launches Courier Satellite," by William Hines, The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., October 4, 1960, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
