04.06.2005 10:34
Early Bird, first commercial communications satellite
Forty years ago, a Delta D launcher took off
from Cape Canaveral with the 85 pound Intelsat
I, the first commercial telecommunications satellite, headed
for geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above the Atlantic Ocean.
Capacity: one televison channel or 240 voice circuits.
For a while, AT&T planned a a privately owned satellite system of between 50 and 120 satellies orbiting 7,000 miles up. Bell Labs used AT&T money to build the first private spacecraft, Telstar 1, and I remember the 'Live via satellite' words at the bottom of the screen from the July 23, 1962, event. But the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 (pdf file) pushed by President Kennedy prohibited private communications satellites, instead setting up the Communications Satellite Corporation or COMSAT to 'plan, initiate, construct, own, manage, and operate itself or in conjunction with foreign governments or business entities a commercial communications satellite system.' COMSAT spearheaded the formation of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, which operated international communications satellites.
Global coverage requires three satellites.
For a while, AT&T planned a a privately owned satellite system of between 50 and 120 satellies orbiting 7,000 miles up. Bell Labs used AT&T money to build the first private spacecraft, Telstar 1, and I remember the 'Live via satellite' words at the bottom of the screen from the July 23, 1962, event. But the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 (pdf file) pushed by President Kennedy prohibited private communications satellites, instead setting up the Communications Satellite Corporation or COMSAT to 'plan, initiate, construct, own, manage, and operate itself or in conjunction with foreign governments or business entities a commercial communications satellite system.' COMSAT spearheaded the formation of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, which operated international communications satellites.
Global coverage requires three satellites.
Delta D (Thrust Augmented) launches Early Bird
Three geosynch satellites cover the Earth
COMSAT In Orbit Test software running in CDE (Solaris? anyone?)
