Courier 1B

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General

Designation	00058 / 60013A
Launch date	4 Oct 1960
Country of origin	United States
Mission	Telecommunications
Perigee/Apogee	967/1214 km
Inclination	28.3°
Period	107.1 min
Launch vehicle	Thor Ablestar #4
Launch site	Cape Canaveral

First active communication satellite

Could record messages from Earth station and rebroadcast them (5 tape recorders; 1 for voice (4 minutes), 4 for teletype). Had also a single real-time channel.

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End of life

Out of service	21 Oct 1960
Cause	Failure
Decay

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor
Platform
Mass at launch	227 kg
Dry mass
Dimension	129.5 cm diameter
Solar array	provided 60W
Stabilization
DC power
Design lifetime

Uplink: in 1800-1900 MHz, 2 receivers
Downlink: in 1700-1800 MHz, 2 transmitters, 2W

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