Tags: Artificialsatellite, Satellite.
Vanguard 1 (ID: 1958-Beta 2) was the fourth artificial Earth orbital satellite launched (after Sputnik 1 Sputnik 2 and Explorer 1) but the first satellite to be solar powered. Although communication with it was lost in 1964 it remains the oldest manmade satellite still in orbit. It was designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle as a part of Project Vanguard and the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit.
