Exhibition

Applications Satellites

From the beginning of the Space Age, people recognized that Earth-orbiting satellites—able to see and communicate across vast distances—promised unique benefits. In the tense years of the Cold War, such spacecraft (known as applications satellites) evolved down two separate paths: one devoted to national security needs, the other to civilian interests. See examples of the hundreds of civilian and military applications satellites ringing the Earth that provide communications, photography, remote sensing, weather analysis, and navigation services to a variety of users.

Highlights include:

  • Corona Film Return Capsule
  • Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)
  • Relay 1 Communications Satellite
  • Agena-B Upper Stage

On View At

Exterior of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center with glass structures and an observation tower
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport is the companion facility to the museum in Washington, D.C.
Location
Chantilly, VA
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily