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Telstar was the first active communications satellite, the first satellite designed to transmit telephone and high-speed data communications, as well as the first privately owned satellite. Its name is used to this day for a number of television broadcasting satellites.

Belonging to AT&T, the original Telstar was part of a multi-national agreement between AT&T, Bell Telephone Laboratories, NASA, the British General Post Office, and the French National PTT (Post & Telecom Office) to develop satellite communication. Bell also built the Earth Station in Andover, and held a contract with NASA, reimbursing the agency 3 million dollars for each launch, independent of success.

Launched by NASA from Cape Canaveral on July 10, 1962, Telstar was the first privately sponsored space launch. A medium-altitude satellite, Telstar was placed in an elliptical orbit (completed once every 2 hours and 37 minutes), rotating at a 45 degree angle above the equator. Because of this, its transmission availability for transatlantic signals was only 20 minutes in each orbit.

Telstar relayed its first television pictures (of a flag outside its ground station in Andover, MaineAndover is a town located in Oxford County, Maine. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 864. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 148. 4 mi²) of it is land and 0. 04 mi²) of it is water.) on the date of its launch. Almost two weeks later, on July 23July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. Events 1632 300 colonists bound for New France depart Dieppe, France. 1829 In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the first typewrite, it relayed the first live transatlantic television signal. During that evening it also dealt with the first telephoneThe telephone or phone is a telecommunications device that transmits speech by means of electric signals. Generally attributed to the inventor Alexander Graham Bell, the first was built in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1876. However, an Italian inventor Anton call transmitted through space and successfully transmitted faxes, data, and both live and taped television, including the first live transmission of television across an ocean (to Pleumeur-Bodou , in FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents.). John F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy ( May 29, 1917 November 22, 1963), often referred to as Jack Kennedy or JFK was the 35th ( 1961 1963) President of the United States. He was the youngest ever to be elected president and the youngest president ever to die in office, then President of the United StatesThe President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. Under the U. Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and commander in chief of the armed forces. Because of the superpower status of th, gave a live transatlantic press conference via Telstar.

The satellite was built by a team at Bell Telephone Laboratories. It was roughly spherical, was 34.5 inches (880 mm) long, and weighed 170 lb (77 kg). Its dimensions were limited by what would fit in one of NASA's Delta rocketDelta rocket (sometimes retroactively called "Delta I") Delta II rocket Delta III rocket Delta IV rocket The Delta family of expendable launch vehicles has been a mainstay of the United States' space launch capability since 1960. With numerous upgrades ans. The team calculated the orbital path and located the US ground station accordingly in the US State of MaineMaine is a state of the United States. It is probably named after the French province of Maine. Another possibility for the name 'Maine' is that the people living on islands along the coast of Maine used to speak of going to the mainland as 'going over to.

Telstar was equipped with a helical antenna which received microwave signals from a ground station, then amplified and rebroadcast the signal. When received back on the ground again, the signal was only a nanowatt or so in strength and a maser amplifier was therefore used to increase signal detection ability.

The original Telstar was just an experiment, however; it went out of service on February 21, 1963. Experiments continued, and by 1964, two Telstars, two Relay units (from RCA), and two Syncom units (from the Hughes Aircraft Company) had operated successfully in space.

The first commercial geosynchronous satellite was Intelsat 1 ("Early Bird") launched in 1965.

Telstars 5–7 and 10–13 are presently (2004) operated by Loral Skynet. Telstar-8 is being manufactured by Space Systems/Loral and is due to launch in 2004.

In the Netherlands, a football club formed from a merger was named SC Telstar after the satellites.

In American the heavy metal band Helstar took their name partly from the satellite as well.