The Radôme antenna weighs 340 tons and was designed to track the Telstar satellite moving across the sky at 17,000 mph.
The structure was built to facilitate the first live television link between the United States and Europe in July 1962.
The outer white dome is made of a special fabric inflated by air pressure, allowing it to withstand high winds while remaining transparent to radio waves.
Pleumeur-Bodou was selected as the site because its geographic isolation minimized interference with electromagnetic signals.
The station was decommissioned in 1985 before being repurposed as a public museum.
The site contains a rare example of a working antenna horn structure that has been preserved in its original configuration.
The Radôme is classified as a Monument Historique in France, preserving its status as a landmark of technological history.
Le Radôme is a monumental telecommunications museum located in Pleumeur-Bodou, centered around the historic 1962 satellite receiving station. The site houses a 50-meter diameter inflatable white dome that protected the massive horn antenna used for the first live transatlantic television broadcast via the Telstar satellite. The museum exhibits the evolution of telecommunications from the telegraph to modern fiber optics and mobile technology. Visitors can explore the interior of the radome, which remains one of the largest structures of its kind. Interactive displays explain wave propagation, coding, and the history of the undersea cables that connect global networks. It is situated within the Parc du Radôme, which also contains a planetarium and a village for younger children. The site commemorates France's pivotal role in the early space age and global communication infrastructure. It is currently recognized as an important industrial heritage site in Brittany.
The interior of the massive radome, directly beneath the horn antenna, provides the most impressive sense of scale.
Wear comfortable shoes as the site involves walking across the park grounds between different buildings.
Allocate time to watch the documentary film usually shown inside the dome to understand the engineering context of the 1962 broadcast.
Check the planetarium schedule upon arrival as it operates on a separate show-based rotation.
Do not rush through the museum exhibits to only see the dome; the surrounding interactive galleries contain the majority of the historical context.
Closed on certain days during the low season; typically follows seasonal operating shifts.
