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Explorer 1
Explorer 1 was the first satellite launched by the United States when it was sent into space on January 31, 1958. Following the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency was directed to launch a satellite using its Jupiter C rocket developed under the direction of Dr. Wernher von Braun. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory received the assignment to design, build and operate the artificial satellite that would serve as the rocket's payload. JPL completed this job in less than three months.
Explorer 1 revolved around Earth in a looping orbit that took it as close as 220 miles to Earth and as far as 1,563 miles. It made one orbit every 114.8 minutes, or a total of 12.54 orbits per day. The satellite itself was 80 inches long and 6.25 inches in diameter, and weighed 30.66 pounds. Explorer 1 made its final transmission on May 23, 1958. It entered Earth's atmosphere and burned up on March 31, 1970, after more than 58,000 orbits.