2024-03-18 Mon

Vanguard I, an American satellite, was launched on 17th March 1958 from the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the fourth artificial satellite and the first solar-powered satellite.

Vanguard I was the first satellite to have solar electric power. Its purpose was to test a three-stage launch vehicle's capacity for liftoff as well as the impact of the environment on a satellite and its systems when they are in Earth orbit. This satellite, which was last in communication in 1964, is still the oldest artificial object in orbit.

Antigua and Barbuda issued a commemorative stamp featuring the Vanguard I satellite in 2008.