It Looks Like the Death Star, but This Was Built Right Here in Maine

This photo looks ominously like the famous Death Star from Star Wars, but it was built in Maine in 1961, before Star Wars was even thought of.

Andover Station

In 1961, Andover Station in Andover, Maine, was built by AT&T. It was a giant dome that housed a 178-foot antenna that communicated with one of the first communication satellites launched into Earth orbit, called "Telstar."

The Andover Station antenna transmitted the first live TV images between the United States and Europe using Telstar, a relay. That transmission was of the United States Flag flying over Andover Station.

Telstar

This was a significant achievement for a place in rural, western Maine. The community was so proud of the Telstar launch that they named their new high school "Telstar Regional High School" after the famous satellite. The school opened in Bethel in 1968 and later added the middle school to the Telstar building.

Andover Station Today

My mother grew up in Bethel, and if she were still alive today, she might be able to tell me what it was like on that day that Telstar made its first transmission.

The giant ray dome was torn down in the 1980s and Andover Station was purchased by MCI in 1987. Remember them?

More modern equipment has been installed on the Andover site, which is still in operation, but now owned by Verizon. They use Andover Station as part of their satellite operations.

READ MORE: 5 Wild Ways Kids Had Fun in Maine Before Smartphones

Don't expect that you'll be able to pay a visit or take a tour. The site is pretty rural and doesn't even have a parking lot.