Object Details
Manufacturer
Hughes Aircraft Co.
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.
Credit Line
Gift of Hughes Aircraft Co.
Inventory Number
A19750769000
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
MODELS-Uncrewed Spacecraft & Parts
Materials
Plastic, wood, copper alloy, steel, white metal plating, paint
Dimensions
3-D: 30.5 × 11.7 × 9.5cm (1 ft. × 4 5/8 in. × 3 3/4 in.)
Country of Origin
United States of America
See more items in
National Air and Space Museum Collection
Location
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
Exhibition
One World Connected
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nasm_A19750769000