List of communications satellite firsts
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{{Refimprove|date=March 2016}}
Milestones in the history of communications satellites.
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| Satellite
!First !Launched !Polity | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sputnik 1 | First satellite with radio transmitter{{cite web|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4217/app-b.htm |title=Appendix B |website=History.nasa.gov |access-date=2016-03-12}} | October 4, 1957 | {{Flag|USSR}} |
| Project SCORE | First communications satellite First test of a space communications relay system First (recorded) voice transmission (U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower) | December 18, 1958 | {{flag|United States|1912}} |
| TIROS-1 | First satellite to transmit television images from space (weather) | April 1, 1960 | {{flag|United States|1959}} |
| Echo 1 | First passive reflector communications satellite | August 12, 1960 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Courier 1B | First active repeater communications satellite First communications satellite powered by solar cells to recharge storage batteries | October 4, 1960 | {{flag|United States}} |
| OSCAR 1 | First amateur radio satellite First satellite ejected into orbit as a secondary launch payload | December 12, 1961 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Telstar 1 | First active, direct-relay communications satellite First satellite to relay television, telephone and high-speed data communications First transatlantic television | July 10, 1962 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Relay 1 | First transpacific television (news of the assassination and funeral procession of U.S. President John F Kennedy) First tandem satellite broadcast (with Syncom 3) | December 13, 1962 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Syncom 2 | First communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit | July 16, 1963 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Syncom 3 | First communications satellite in geostationary orbit First Olympic broadcast to international audiences First tandem satellite broadcast (with Relay 1) | August 19, 1964 | {{flag|United States}} |
| OSCAR-III | First amateur radio communications satellite (relay/transponder); first OSCAR powered by solar cells | March 9, 1965 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Intelsat I | First commercial communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit | April 6, 1965 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Orbita | First national TV network based on satellite television | November 1967 | {{flag|Soviet Union}} |
| Nimbus 3 | First satellite-based search and rescue system First satellite to locate and command remote weather stations to transmit data back to satellite | April 14, 1969 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Anik 1 | First domestic communications satellite system using geosynchronous orbit (Canada) | November 9, 1972 | {{flag|Canada}} |
| ATS-6 | First geostationary communications satellite to be three-axis stabilized First experimental Direct Broadcast Satellite First satellite to provide communications relay services for other spacecraft (Nimbus 6) | May 30, 1974 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Symphonie | First geostationary communications satellite with unified propulsion system for station-keeping | December 19, 1974 | {{flag|West Germany}} {{flag|France}} |
| AO-6 & AO-7 | First satellite-to-satellite communications relay (ground -> AO-7 -> AO-6 -> ground){{cite journal
|title=Intersatellite communication using the AMSAT-OSCAR 6 and AMSAT-OSCAR 7 radio amateur satellites |journal=Proceedings of the IEEE |volume=63 |issue=10 |pages=1526–1527 |date=October 1975 |publisher=IEEE|doi=10.1109/PROC.1975.9988 |last1=Klein |first1=P.I. |last2=Soifer |first2=R. |bibcode=1975IEEEP..63.1526K |s2cid=41507183 }} | January 1975 (occurred) | {{flag|United States}} |
| Ekran | First serial Direct-To-Home TV communication satellite | October 26, 1976 | {{flag|Soviet Union}} |
| SBS-3 | First commercial use of the U.S. Space Shuttle | November 11, 1982 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Tracking and data relay satellite-A | First satellite of first full-time communications relay network for other spacecraft | April 4, 1983 | {{flag|United States}} |
| ACTS Gigabit Satellite Network | First communication satellite network to operate in the 20-30 GHz frequency band | September 12, 1993 | {{flag|United States}} |
| Iridium 1 | First satellite for satellite telephone service | May 5, 1997 | {{flag|United States}} |
| AO-40 | First satellite to use GPS for navigation and attitude determination in High Earth orbit{{cite web
|url = https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20020079110 |title = Preliminary Results of the GPS Flight Experiment on the High Earth Orbit AMSAT OSCAR-40 Spacecraft |date = February 2002 |access-date = 20 February 2023 |publisher = 25th Annual AAS Guidance and Control Conference}} {{cite web|url = http://www.emergentspace.com/pubs/AIAA_GNC_2002_AMSAT_A040.pdf |title = GPS-Based Navigation and Orbit Determination for the AMSAT AO-40 Satellite |date = 2002 |access-date = 11 January 2011 |publisher = American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110710185947/http://www.emergentspace.com/pubs/AIAA_GNC_2002_AMSAT_A040.pdf |archive-date = 10 July 2011 }} | November 16, 2000 | {{flag|Germany}} {{flag|United States}} |
| Artemis | First demonstration of inter-satellite laser communication{{cite web|url=http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/A_world_first_Data_transmission_between_European_satellites_using_laser_light|title=A world first: data transmission between European satellites using laser light}} | November 21, 2001 (experiment) | {{flag|European Union}} |
| SuitSat | First use of a decommissioned spacesuit as a radio satellite | February 3, 2006 (deployed) | {{flag|Russia}} {{flag|United States}} |
| BRIsat | First satellite owned and operated by a bank | October 18, 2016 (Launch) | {{flag|Indonesia}} |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{Satcomm|state=uncollapsed}}
{{Spaceflight lists and timelines}}
{{Telecommunications}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Communications satellite firsts}}
Category:Lists of firsts in outer space