Beacon 1 was a large inflatable satellite of micro-thin plastic covered with aluminium foil. It was designed to be large so that it was easily visible from Earth. October 23, 1958 at 03:21 UTC · Launch Failure Juno-I — Army Ballistic Missile Agency, to Low Earth Orbit Launch Complex 5, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA The world's 27th orbital launch attempt, and 24th of 1958. Data: Launch Library 2, The Space Devs. Image by NASA (NASA Image and Media Guidelines) via The Space Devs.