Courier 1B (00058)

Payload

Courier 1B

Purpose

Communication

Mission

Courier 1B was an experimental communications satellite designed to demonstrate the feasibility of using satellites for global communications. It was capable of storing teletype messages and transmitting them at high speed while in view of a ground station, as well as supporting real-time communications in a half-duplex voice circuit.

Manufacturer

Western Development Labs (WDL) division of Philco

Life Expectancy

Courier 1B operated nominally for 17 days, completing 228 orbits before a command system failure ended communications.

Bus

Courier

Configuration

Sphere

Motor

None

Equipment

Courier 1B was equipped with four 2-W microwave FM transmitters operating in the 1700-1800 MHz range, a 50-mW transistorized VHF beacon transmitter, four solid-state receivers in the 1800-1900 MHz band, five tape recorders (four digital with a total capacity of 13.2 Mb each and one analog with a 4-minute capacity), four whip antennas mounted at 90° intervals along the equator, two microwave antennas, a transistorized telemetry generator, a VHF diplexer, and a command decoder.

Power System

The satellite was powered by 19,200 solar cells charging nickel-cadmium batteries, providing approximately 60 watts of power.

ADCS

Spin-stabilized at approximately 120 rpm

Transmitter Frequency

1700-1800 MHz (microwave FM), 108 MHz (VHF beacon)