November 15, a postcard with a commemorative stamp dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Orbita, the world's first national network of television satellites, was put into circulation in the "Space Exploration" series


In 1961 Sergey Korolev's experimental design bureau started to work on design documentation for Molniya-1 satellite to rebroadcast and deliver television signals, and to provide multichannel telegraphy and telephony.

Beside the relay station, Molniya-1 was equipped with experimental hardware to monitor Earth from space. 18 May 1966, an experiment was successfully carried out to observe Earth from space and to receive its first television image.

In 1967 the first 20 downlink stations were put into operation, so remote areas of Russia's Extreme North, Far East and Central Asia could watch the national central television.

The postcard with a commemorative stamp has a symbolic image of a rocket launched into space; the main image features Orbita satellite television network powered by Molniya-1 space vehicle.

In addition, JSC Marka has produced a special cancellation postmark for Moscow and Baikonur.

Design: R. Komsa (illustration), А. Drobyshev (stamp).
Circualtion: 20 thousand.


« back