Intelsat 1
Part of the Intelsat program
Intelsat 1, also called Early Bird, was the world's first commercial communications satellite. It provided the first scheduled transoceanic TV service and was operational for 3.5 years. In 1984, the satellite was briefly reactivated to celebrate ITSO's 20th anniversary.
Spacecraft
Spin stabilized.
Payload
Two 6 W transponders with 50 Mhz bandwidth. No multiple access. 240 voice circuits or one TV channel.
| Country of Origin | International |
| Customer/User | ITSO |
| Manufacturer(s) | Hughes |
| Size | Cylinder: 59 cm long, 72 cm diameter |
| Orbit | Geosynchronous |
| Design Life | 18 months |
Launch Facts
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| Name | Int'l Desig. | Date | Site | Vehicle | Orbit | Mass(kg) |
| Notes | ||||||
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| Intelsat 1 (Early Bird) | 1965-028A | 4/6/65 | ESMC | Delta D | GEO | 39 |
| Over Atlantic | ||||||
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