Q: What was the purpose of Courier 1B?

A: Courier 1B was a communications satellite designed to provide telecommunication services from low Earth orbit.

Q: When was Courier 1B launched?

A: It was launched on October 4, 1960, at 17:50 UTC from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17B.

Q: What happened to Courier 1B after launch?

A: The satellite lost contact on October 21, 1960, and became a derelict satellite.

Q: What was the launch vehicle used for Courier 1B?

A: The satellite was launched using a Thor-Ablestar rocket (serial number 293/AB005).

Q: What was the orbital period of Courier 1B?

A: The orbital period was 106.85 minutes.

Courier 1B

communications satellite

Vehicle communications_satellite Q63716

Facts

17 properties

Instance of: communications satellite, derelict spacecraft^[2]
Launch date: 1960-10-04
Apoapsis: 1,237 km^[14]
Launch vehicle: Thor-Ablestar
Mass: 230 kg^[12]
Operator: United States Air Force^[3]
Orbital eccentricity: 0.020012^[9]
Orbital inclination: 28.33 degree^[11]
Orbital period: 106.85 minute^[13]
Periapsis: 938 km^[15]
Satellite of: low Earth orbit
Significant event: rocket launch, loss of contact^[7]^[8]
Space launch vehicle: Thor-Ablestar^[4]
Start point: Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17B^[10]
Type of orbit: low Earth orbit^[5]
UTC date of spacecraft launch: October 4, 1960^[6]
Video: commons.wikimedia.org

🏷️ Also known as

en Courier 1B ar كورير_1_بي el Κούριερ 1Β es Courier 1A fr Courier 1-A fr Courier 1A fr Courier 1-B hu Courier–1B ja クーリエ1B pl Courier 1A ru Courier 1B ru Курьер-1Б uk Кур'єр-1Бі zh Courier 1B通訊衛星

🔖 Identifiers · 6

Image (Wikimedia Commons): Courier-1A.jpg ↗
COSPAR ID: 1960-013A
Freebase ID: /m/03smsl
NSSDCA ID: 1960-013A
SCN: 00058
Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "00058"]

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections

Instance of 2

communications satellite, derelict spacecraft

Operator 1

United States Air Force

Significant event 1

rocket launch

Space launch vehicle 1

Thor-Ablestar

Start point 1

Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17B

Type of orbit 1

low Earth orbit

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Summary

Courier 1B is a communications satellite^[1].

⭐ Popularity Graph

3/100 long tail

🌐 Wiki Languages

16 / 428 langs top 10%

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🔗 Readers Also Explored · clickstream, Mar 2026

Thor-Ablestar

🌐 Available in 13 languages

enCourier 1B arكورير 1 بي deCourier 1B elΚούριερ 1Β esCourier 1B fiCourier 1B frCourier 1B huCourier–1B idCourier 1B itCourier 1B plCourier 1B ruКурьер-1Б ukКур'єр-1Бі

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

[2] ↑ Courier 1B — instance of (P31): derelict satellite. wikidata.org.
[3] ↑ Courier 1B — operator (P137): United States Air Force. wikidata.org.
[4] ↑ Courier 1B — space launch vehicle (P375): Thor-Ablestar. Jonathan's Space Report. wikidata.org.
[5] ↑ Courier 1B — type of orbit (P522): low Earth orbit. wikidata.org.
[6] ↑ Courier 1B — UTC date of spacecraft launch (P619): October 4, 1960. Jonathan's Space Report. wikidata.org.
[7] ↑ Courier 1B — significant event (P793): rocket launch. Jonathan's Space Report. wikidata.org.
[8] ↑ Courier 1B — significant event (P793): loss of contact. wikidata.org.
[9] ↑ Courier 1B — orbital eccentricity (P1096): {'amount': '+0.020012'}. wikidata.org.
[10] ↑ Courier 1B — start point (P1427): Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 17B. Jonathan's Space Report. wikidata.org.
[11] ↑ Courier 1B — orbital inclination (P2045): 28.33 degree. wikidata.org.
[12] ↑ Courier 1B — mass (P2067): 230 kg. wikidata.org.
[13] ↑ Courier 1B — orbital period (P2146): 106.85 minutes. wikidata.org.
[14] ↑ Courier 1B — apoapsis (P2243): 1237 km. wikidata.org.
[15] ↑ Courier 1B — periapsis (P2244): 938 km. wikidata.org.

Class ancestry

[1] ↑ Courier 1B is an instance of communications satellite (Q149918) [P31, primary]. Wikidata. wikidata.org.

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Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Courier 1B. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/courier-1b

MLA “Courier 1B.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 1 Nov. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/courier-1b.

BibTeX

@misc{4ortxyz_courier-1b_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Courier 1B}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/courier-1b}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-01}}

LLM prompt

According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Courier 1B — https://4ort.xyz/entity/courier-1b (retrieved 2026-11-01)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/courier-1b · Last refreshed: November 1, 2026