On April 1, 1960, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched TIROS-1, the world’s first successful meteorological satellite.
Nearly 68 years ago, on October 4, 1957, the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to be successfully placed in orbit around Earth. This feat ushered in the Space Age and sparked a space race between the United States and its Cold War rival.
This scramble for spaceflight superiority led to the establishment of our nation’s early space programs, and to the launch of Explorer-1 in 1958, the first operational U.S. satellite.
Then on April 1, 1960, NASA launched the Television Infrared Observation Satellite ( TIROS-1 ), the world’s first successful weather satellite. Weighing approximately 270 pounds and carrying two television cameras and two video recorders, the satellite provided weather forecasters their first-ever view of cloud formations as they developed around the globe.
“It really was a milestone in the history of weather observation,” said Stephen Volz , Ph.D., Assistant Administrator of NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service. “TIROS-1 changed our perspective. Up to that point, we were very local in our understanding and our interpretation of weather phenomena.”
Over the next several years, scientists and technologists at NASA and the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA; NOAA’s predecessor) designed, built, and launched multiple TIROS missions, each carrying increasingly advanced technology .
Read the history and see historic NASA and NOAA photos HERE.
Also watch the 1960 TIROS-1 launch below, featuring vintage video footage from that era.
