List of communications satellite firsts - Definition

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