Citez: "Wolfgang Schreiber
This is OSCAR 1, the world's first amateur, non-government satellite. It launched on #OTD in 1961. Built for only 63 dollars, it operated for nearly 20 days, during which thousands of radio operators in 28 countries detected the satellite's simple "hi-hi" morse code message. It marks the beginning of amateur radio's journey to space. Today, AMSAT and amateur radio groups worldwide continue the legacy started by Project OSCAR.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSCAR_1