Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
1 high x 1.25 diameter in. (2.5 x 3.2 cm)
Materials:
Plastic, brass, aluminum
The Syncom communication satellites (Syncom 1, 2, and 3), developed by the Hughes Aircraft Company and launched from 1963 to 1964, were instrumental in demonstrating the feasibility of space-based communications from geostationary orbit. This orbit, more than 22,000 miles (35, 405 km) above the Earth's equator, allows a satellite to "sit" constantly over a specific region of the Earth, providing a consistent, reliable pathway for communications.
Syncom 3 helped provide television coverage to the United States of the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, demonstrating the ability of satellites to facilitate long-distance communications.
Hughes Aircraft donated this 1/24 scale model to the Museum in 1975.
Gift of Hughes Aircraft Co.
