On 1 April 1960, the world's first weather satellite, the Television Infrared Observation Satellite 1 (TIROS 1), was launched from
Cape Canaveral, Florida, into a 99-min orbit at an altitude of about
725 km. The cylindrical (1.1-m diameter, 0.48-m tall), 120-kg
spacecraft was spin-stabilized, rotating between 8 and 12 times per
min.