Model, Communications Satellite, Comstar

favorite

Display Status:

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Collection Item Summary:

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.

Collection Item Long Description:

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Do not reproduce without permission from the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum

Manufacturer

Credit Line

Gift of Hughes Aircraft Co.

Materials

  • Plastic
  • Stainless Steel
  • Copper Alloy
  • Steel
  • Paint
  • Ink

Dimensions

  • 3-D: 30.5 x 11.7 x 10.2cm (12 x 4 5/8 x 4 in.)
  • Storage: 35.6 x 13.7 x 13.3cm (14 x 5 3/8 x 5 1/4 in.)

See more items in

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

MODELS-Unmanned Spacecraft & Parts

Inventory Number

A19750769000

Explore the collection

Related Topics