Echo I Is Launched
Echo I, launched on August 12, 1960, by NASA, marked a significant milestone as the first communications satellite. Developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), this innovative satellite was designed to revolutionize telecommunications and contributed to the evolution of technologies such as the Internet. Measuring approximately 100 feet in diameter, Echo I was successfully launched into space aboard a Thor Delta rocket, following an unsuccessful attempt earlier that year. The satellite functioned as a giant, aluminum-covered balloon, reflecting radio and television signals transmitted from Earth. Among its notable achievements was the successful transmission of a picture of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower across the country shortly after its launch. Echo I was visible to many observers on Earth, thanks to its reflective surface. Although it ceased operations on May 24, 1968, when its orbit decayed, the legacy of Echo I set the foundation for more advanced communication satellites. Its successor, Echo II, launched in 1964, operated until its disintegration in 1969.
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Echo I Is Launched
Echo I Is Launched
The first communications satellite, Echo I, was launched on August 12, 1960, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. space agency, from its flight facility at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Developed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), Echo I was the first of many communications satellites that have revolutionized the world's telecommunications industry in addition to enabling the development of collateral technologies, such as the Internet.
Echo, roughly 100 feet in diameter, was sent into space aboard a Thor Delta rocket. Unlike the attempt to launch a similar satellite on May 15, 1960, the August 12 launch was successful. When deployed, Echo was essentially a giant balloon covered with aluminum, providing a silvery, mirrorlike surface to reflect radio and television transmissions from Earth-bound facilities. Successful tests were made on both types of transmissions, which included sending a picture of U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower between Iowa and Dallas, Texas, on August 19 of that same year by bouncing it off the satellite. Echo could be seen with the naked eye by many stargazers on Earth thanks to its reflective properties.
Echo was succeeded by more advanced satellite designs and ceased service on May 24, 1968, when its orbit finally decayed and it disintegrated in the atmosphere during re-entry. Echo I's sister satellite, Echo II, launched on January 25, 1964, was in service until September 7, 1969, when it too disintegrated during atmospheric reentry.