Courier 1B, the world's first active repeater communications satellite (US Army Signal Corps / ARPA), launched on a Thor DM-21 Ablestar from Cape Canaveral LC-17B on 4 October 1960. It relayed store-and-forward and real-time traffic for 17 days before a command-system failure ended contact.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- LEO
- Low Earth orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 225 kg
- Flight
- 4th
- of 19 Thor DM-21 Ablestar flights
- Date and time
- 4 October 1960, 17:50 UTC
- Rocket
- Thor DM-21 Ablestar
- Builder
- McDonnell Douglas
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
- Payload
- Communications
- International designator
- 1960-013
- Launches in 1960
- 24th of 38
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
Object pages on Space Atlas: Courier 1B
View satellites in Space Atlas