Intelsat I (nicknamed Early Bird for the
proverb
A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbia ...
"The early bird catches the worm") was the first commercial
communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth ...
to be placed in
geosynchronous orbit, on April 6, 1965.
It was built by the Space and Communications Group of
Hughes Aircraft Company (later Hughes Space and Communications Company, and now
Boeing Satellite Systems
The Boeing Satellite Development Center is a major business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. It brought together Boeing satellite operations with that of GM Hughes Electronics' Space and Communications division in El Segundo, Calif ...
) for
COMSAT, which activated it on June 28, 1965. It was based on the
Syncom series of satellites that Hughes had previously built for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
to demonstrate that communications via synchronous-orbit satellite were feasible. Its booster was a
Thrust Augmented Delta (Delta D). After a series of maneuvers, it reached its geosynchronous orbital position over the Atlantic Ocean at 28° West longitude, where it was put into service.
It helped provide the first live TV coverage of a spacecraft splashdown, that of
Gemini 6 in December 1965. Originally slated to operate for 18 months, Early Bird was in active service for 4 years and 4 months, being deactivated in January 1969, although it was briefly activated in June of that year to serve the ''
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...
'' flight when the Atlantic
Intelsat satellite failed. It was deactivated again in August 1969 and has been inactive since that time (except for a brief reactivation in 1990 to commemorate its 25th launch anniversary), although it remains in orbit.
The Early Bird satellite was the first to provide direct and nearly instantaneous contact between Europe and North America, handling
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
,
telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
, and
telefacsimile transmissions. It was fairly small, measuring nearly and weighing .
Early Bird was one of the satellites used in the then record-breaking broadcast of ''
Our World''.
Model
A full-scale model, or a flight test model, hung in the main lobby of the Intelsat headquarters building,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
before moving to McLean, VA in 2014. It was donated to the
National Air and Space Museum in 2022.
See also
*
"Early Bird", 1965 song named after Intelsat I
*
List of communications satellite firsts
Milestones in the history of communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source tra ...
*
Syncom, the first geosynchronous and geostationary satellites
References
External links
*
History.nasa.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intelsat 01
Intelsat satellites
Hughes aircraft
Spacecraft launched in 1965
Derelict satellites orbiting Earth
Transatlantic telecommunications