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Description
Telstar-1 only operated for 7 months, much shorter than expected. The satellite didn't fail on its own, the internal electronics were fried by the United States Starfish Prime nuclear test in 1962.

Starfish Prime was the code name for detonating a W49 warhead in outer space (at an altitude of 250 miles). The blast created visible auroras, formed a new radiation belt around the Earth, and fried the internal electronics of multiple early satellites, including Telstar-1.

To this day Telstar-1 remains in orbit, one of the first bits of space junk. Nuclear weapons tests in space were banned by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and Outer Space Treaty.

Description
Telstar-1 only operated for 7 months, much shorter than expected. The satellite didn't fail on its own, the internal electronics were fried by the United States Starfish Prime nuclear test in 1962.

Starfish Prime was the code name for detonating a W49 warhead in outer space (at an altitude of 250 miles). The blast created visible auroras, formed a new radiation belt around the Earth, and fried the internal electronics of multiple early satellites, including Telstar-1.

To this day Telstar-1 remains in orbit, one of the first bits of space junk. Nuclear weapons tests in space were banned by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and Outer Space Treaty.