The Kingsport was given the historic assignment, while in Lagos Harbour, of initiating the first message via satellite between the continents of Africa and North America. This was sent by satellite Syncom II, which was successfully launched on Saturday, July 27,1963, after a two days delay. It was launched from Cape Canaveral atop a nine-storey-high, 57-ton three-stage Delta rocket which boosted it into orbit at an altitude of about 140 miles. The satellite appears above the ship on the stamp. The Kingsport has an overall length of 455 ft., a beam of 62 ft. and displaces approximately 11,000 tons. The very conspicuous spherical radome on the after deckhouse, one of the principal distinguishing features of the ship, contains the largest antenna of its kind ever installed in a ship. It is a stabilised 30 ft. parabolic which weighs about 50,000 lbs. and is capable of automatically tracking a satellite at an altitude of 22,300 miles, in addition to transmitting and receiving communications via a satellite at this altitude. The Syncom II satellite commemorated by the stamp was successfully contacted by the Kingsport and reception was recorded as excellent. Syncom II is virtually a flying switchboard which will remain in permanent contact with ground stations, and of course the Kingsport, unlike the satellite previously launched, Telstar and Relay, which orbit at lower altitudes and higher speeds.
Syncom II, a cylinder-shaped space vehicle, completes one revolution around the earth about every 24 hours, the same time it takes the earth to revolve around its own axis. As a result, the satellite will appear to hang stationary close to the same spot above the earth. It is usable about 90 per cent, of the time for trans-oceanic communications, in contrast to non-synchronous satellites which are within range of any one location on earth for only a short time during each orbit. This explains the choice of Lagos harbour for the Kingsport 's station, the nearest suitable base for communication with Syncon, II. SG132