Satellite broadcast historical Apollo 11 mission, moon landing

MCLEAN, Va.-Thursday 24 March 2022 [ AETOS Wire ]

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- Intelsat, operator of the world’s largest integrated satellite and terrestrial network and leading provider of inflight connectivity (IFC), is donating a pioneering piece of satellite history to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. The company will transfer the ground spare of the Intelsat 1 satellite in a ceremony today at the museum’s Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport.

Intelsat 1, also known as Early Bird, was the first commercial communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit launched April 6, 1965. During the early age of space technology, two identical satellites were often constructed in the event of launch failure. Today’s donation is a fully constructed satellite that had been on display at Intelsat’s U.S. headquarters.