list of communications satellite firsts

Early milestones in the history of communications satellites.

Herman Potocnik - describes a space station in geosynchronous orbit - 1928
Arthur C. Clarke - proposes a station in geosynchronous orbit to relay communications and broadcast television - 1945
Project SCORE - first communications satellite - 1958
Echo I - first passive reflector satellite - August 1960
Courier 1B - first active repeater satellite - October 1960
Telstar - the first satellite designed to transmit television and high-speed data communications - July 1962
Syncom - first communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit - 1963
OSCAR-III - first amateur radio communications satellite - March 1965
Molniya - first Soviet communication satellite, highly elliptic orbit - October 1965
Early Bird - INTELSAT's first satellite for commercial service - April 1965
Anik 1 - the first national satellite television system, Canada, - 1973
TDRSS - first satellite designed to provide communications relay services for other spacecraft. - 1983
Mars Global Surveyor - first communications satellite in orbit around another planet (Mars) - 1997
Cassini spacecraft relays to Earth images from the Huygens probe as it lands on Saturn's moon, Titan, the longest relay to date. -- January 14, 2005

Communications satellites

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