Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
Overall: 10 1/2in. x 5in. (26.7 x 12.7cm)
Materials:
Aluminum, plastic, glass
By the late 1970s, communications via satellite had become a vital part of national and international life. The Comstar satellites were emblematic of this development. Built by Hughes Aircraft for American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), then the dominant provider of telecommunications services in the US, the Comstars were AT&T's first effort at using satellites to complement its extensive system of ground-based communications.
The satellites were launched from 1976 to 1981. The last Comstar continued operation until 2002.
Hughes Aircraft donated this 1/24 scale model of a Comstar satellite to the Museum in 1975.
Gift of Hughes Aircraft Co.
