Syncom

Syncom 1

Syncom 1 was launched on February 14, 1963 with a launch vehicle Thor Delta #16 at Cape Canaveral and was lost on the way to geostationary orbit due to electronics failure. The dimensions and payload were the same as of the other two satellites. When the apogee kick motor for circularizing the orbit was fired, the spacecraft fell silent seconds after. Later telescopic observations verified the satellite was in an orbit with a period of nearly 24 hours at a 33° inclination.

Syncom 2

Syncom 2 was the first geosynchronous communication satellite build by Hughes Aircraft Company[?]'s facility in Culver City, California and launched by NASA on July 26, 1963 with a launch vehicle Thor Delta #20 at Cape Canaveral. Its dimensions were 710 mm in a diameter and 390 mm in a height. Its total payload was 24.9 kg and a total mass in the orbit 40 kg. The satellite successfully took the exact position as was calculated by Herman Potočnik Noordung in 1920s.

Syncom 3

This satellite was the first geostationary communication satellite, launched on August 19, 1964 with a launch vehicle Thor Delta #25 at Cape Canaveral. Its dimensions were the same as at Syncom 1 and Syncom 2. It has 40 kg in the orbit. Its power was 2 W and it has 300 phone circuits as have the other two. The satellite in orbit near the International Date Line[?] was used to telecast the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo to the United States as the first television program to cross the Pacific ocean.

External link:

• Daniel R. Glover's page about NASA Experimental Communications Satellites (2000-03-30): http://roland.lerc.nasa.gov/~dglover/sat/syncom
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center description of Syncom 2, the first geosynchronous satellite (2001-03-01/2002-08-09): http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/tmp/1963-031A