CentralNotice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Experimental space-based radio communication project Needles from the West Ford project compared to a stamp . Project West Ford (also known as Westford Needles and Project Needles ) was a test carried out by Massachusetts Institute of Technology 's Lincoln Laboratory on behalf of the United States military in 1961 and 1963 to create an artificial ionosphere above the Earth. [1] This was done to solve a major weakness that had been identified in military communications. [2] History [ edit ] Westford satellite exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center At the height of the Cold War , all international communications were either sent through submarine communications cables or bounced off the natural ionosphere . The United States military were concerned that the Soviets might cu...