Syncom (for "synchronous communication satellite") started as a 1961 NASA program for active geosynchronous communication satellites, all of which were developed and manufactured by Hughes Space and Communications. Syncom-2 was the world's first geosynchronous communications satellite, in 1963. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... NASA logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications using radio at microwave frequencies. ... Boeing Satellite Systems is a major business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. ... A geosynchronous orbit is a geocentric orbit that has the same orbital period as the sidereal rotation period of the Earth. ...

In the 1980s, the series was continued as Syncom IV with some much larger satellites, also manufactured by Hughes. They were leased to the United States military under the LEASAT programme.

Syncom 1, 2 and 3

1st generation Syncom satellite

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (663x936, 257 KB) Syncom type satellite File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (663x936, 257 KB) Syncom type satellite File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

Common features

The three early Syncom satellites were experimental spacecraft built by Hughes Aircraft Company's facility in Culver City, California. All three satellites were cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of about 71 cm and a height of about 39 cm. Pre-launch fuelled masses were 68 kg, whilst orbital masses were 39 kg with a 25 kg payload. They were capable of emitted signals on two transponders at just 2 W. Thus, Syncom satellites were only capable of carrying a single two-way telephone conversation, or 16 teletype connections. Hughes developed the AIM-120 AMRAAM, one of the worlds most advanced air-to-air missiles Hughes Aircraft Company was a major defence/aerospace company founded by Howard Hughes. ... Culver City sign, at the northeast corner of the Sepulveda Boulevard and Centinela Avenue intersection, near the 405 and the 90 freeway interchange. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... The international prototype, made of platinum-iridium, which is kept at the BIPM under conditions specified by the 1st CGPM in 1889. ... In cargo transport, the payload is the valuable contents of the vehicle. ... In telecommunication, the term transponder (sometimes abbreviated to XPDR or TPDR) has the following meanings: An automatic device that receives, amplifies, and retransmits a signal on a different frequency. ... The watt (symbol: W) is the SI derived unit of power. ... A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is a now largely obsolete electro-mechanical typewriter which can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point through a simple electrical communications channel, often just a pair of wires. ...

Syncom 1

Syncom 1 was to be the first geosynchronous communications satellite. It was launched on February 14, 1963 with the Delta B #16 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral, but was lost on the way to geosynchronous orbit due to an electronics failure. Seconds after the apogee kick motor for circularizing the orbit was fired, the spacecraft fell silent. Later telescopic observations verified the satellite was in an orbit with a period of almost 24 hours at a 33° inclination. A geosynchronous orbit is a geocentric orbit that has the same orbital period as the sidereal rotation period of the Earth. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Delta EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt) Delta rocket (sometimes retroactively called Delta I) Delta II rocket Delta III rocket Delta IV rocket The Delta family of expendable launch vehicles has been a mainstay of the United States space launch capability since 1960. ... An expendable launch system is a single-use launch vehicle usually used to launch a payload into space. ... Cape Canaveral from space, August 1991 Cape Canaveral (Cabo Cañaveral in Spanish) is a strip of land in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of that states Atlantic coast. ... This article is about several astronomical terms (apogee & perigee, aphelion & perihelion, generic equivalents based on apsis, and related but rarer terms. ...

Syncom 2

This was the first geosynchronous communication satellite. Its orbit was inclined rather than geostationary. The satellite was launched by NASA on July 26, 1963 with the Delta B #20 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral. The satellite successfully kept station at the altitude calculated by Herman Potočnik Noordung in the 1920s. A geosynchronous orbit is a geocentric orbit that has the same orbital period as the sidereal rotation period of the Earth. ... U.S. military MILSTAR communications satellite A communications satellite (sometimes abbreviated to comsat) is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purposes of telecommunications using radio at microwave frequencies. ... A geostationary orbit occurs when an object (satellite) is placed 37,000 km (22,300 miles) above the Earths equator with the characteristic that, from a fixed observation point on the Earths surface, it appears motionless. ... A geostationary orbit (abbreviated GEO) is a circular orbit in the Earths equatorial plane, any point on which revolves about the Earth in the same direction and with the same period as the Earths rotation. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Delta EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt) Delta rocket (sometimes retroactively called Delta I) Delta II rocket Delta III rocket Delta IV rocket The Delta family of expendable launch vehicles has been a mainstay of the United States space launch capability since 1960. ... Herman Potočnik (pseudonym Hermann Noordung) (December 12, 1892 - August 27, 1929) was a Slovene rocket engineer and pioneer of cosmonautics (astronautics). ... It has been suggested that Roaring Twenties be merged into this article or section. ...

For a time, a ship, the USNS Kingsport, acted as a control station and uplink station for this satellite. USNS Kingsport (T-AG 164) USNS Kingsport (T-AG-164) began its career as Kingsport Victory (T-AK-239), which served as a cargo vessel during World War II. Kingsport Victory was acquired by the United States Navy from the Maritime Commission on 1 March 1950, and carried military cargo...

Syncom 3

This satellite was the first geostationary communication satellite, launched on August 19, 1964 with the Delta D #25 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral. The satellite, in orbit near the International Date Line, was used to telecast the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo to the United States. It was the first television programme to cross the Pacific ocean. A geostationary orbit (GSO) is a circular orbit directly above the Earths equator (0º latitude). ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Delta EELV family of launch vehicles (US Govt) Delta rocket (sometimes retroactively called Delta I) Delta II rocket Delta III rocket Delta IV rocket The Delta family of expendable launch vehicles has been a mainstay of the United States space launch capability since 1960. ... The International Date Line around 180° The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, which offsets the hours that are added or subtracted as one travels east or west through successive time zones. ... The Games of the XVIII Olympiad were held in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. ... Headquarters of Tokyo Metropolitan Government View of Tokyos Shibuya district Tokyo ) (help· info), literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized downtown area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ...

Syncom IV (LEASAT)

Syncom IV, Hughes owned US Military LEASAT

The five satellites of the 1980s Leased Satellite LEASAT program were alternatively named Syncom IV-1 to Syncom IV-5. These satellites were considerably larger than Syncoms 1 to 3, weighing 1.3 tonnes each (over 7 tonnes with launch fuel). At 4.26 m (14 ft) the satellites were the first to be designed for launch from the Space Shuttle's payload bay. Image File history File links from http://science. ... Image File history File links from http://science. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... A tonne (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of weight. ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ...

Hughes was contracted to provide a worldwide communications system based on four satellites, one over the continental United States (CONUS), and one each over the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Five satellites were ordered, with one as a replacement. Also part of the contract was the associated control systems and ground stations. The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... For other meanings of Pacific, see Pacific (disambiguation). ...

LEASAT F1's launch was cancelled just prior to lift-off and F2 became the first into orbit on August 30, 1984. F1 was launched successfully on November 8 1984 followed by Leasat F3 April 12, 1985. F3's launch was declared a failure when the satellite failed to start its manoeuver to geostationary orbit once released from Discovery. On August 27, 1985 Discovery was again used to launch LEASAT F4, and during the same mission captured and repaired F3. F3 successfully fired its perigee motor and obtained a geostationary orbit, however F4 would later fail and was declared a loss. August 30 is the 242nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (243rd in leap years), with 123 days remaining. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (103rd in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is a NASA Space Shuttle. ... Births 1407 - Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (d. ... This article is about the year. ...

The fifth and last Leasat (F5), which was built as a spare, was successfully launched by Columbia on January 9, 1990. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

The last LEASAT probe was retired February 1998.

External links

• Boeing: Detailed LEASAT information
• Boeing: Detailed Syncom information
  • Boeing: High resolution Syncom image
• Daniel R. Glover's page about NASA Experimental Communications Satellites
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center descriptions:
  • Syncom 1
  • Syncom 2
  • Syncom 3
• Gunter's Space Page:
  • Leasat 1-5 (Syncom-IV 1 to 5)