Telstar
The original Telstar had a roughly spherical shape.
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| Operator | NASA |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1962-029A |
| SATCAT no. | 00340 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Bell Labs |
| Launch mass | 171 kilograms (377 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 08:35:00, July 10, 1962 |
| Rocket | Thor-Delta |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17 |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | February 21, 1963 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Medium Earth orbit |
| Perigee | 952 kilometres (592 mi) |
| Apogee | 5,933 kilometres (3,687 mi) |
| Inclination | 44.8° |
| Period | 2 hours and 37 minutes |
| Epoch | 1962-07-10 08:35:00 UTC |
 Felker Talking Telstar, 1962, Dr. Jean Felker's speech starts at 4:20, WNYC
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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 fax images, and provided the first live transatlantic television feed. Telstar 2 launched May 7, 1963. Telstar 1 and 2—though no longer functional—still orbit the Earth.
Belonging to AT&T, the original Telstar was part of a multi-national agreement among AT&T (USA), Bell Telephone Laboratories (USA), NASA (USA), GPO (United Kingdom) and the National PTT (France) to develop experimental satellite communications over the Atlantic Ocean. Bell Labs held a contract with NASA, paying the agency for each launch, independent of success.
The American ground station—built by Bell Labs—was Andover Earth Station, in Andover, Maine. The main British ground station was at Goonhilly Downs in southwestern England. The BBC, as international coordinator, used this location. The standards 525/405 conversion equipment (filling a large room) was researched and developed by the BBC and located in the BBC Television Centre, London. The French ground station was at (48°47′10″N 3°31′26″W / 48.78611°N 3.52389°W) in north-western France.
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