communication satellite ( 1st step)

It is now time to look at the history of the first communications satellites. It all begins in 1958, in December 1958 to be precise. The SCORE satellite is launched. It is the first communications satellite, which means that it enables communication from a distance, or telecommunication. Its operation is very simple, it has an on-board tape recorder, which can record vocal signals transmitted from Earth, and playback this voice and transmit it back to Earth at will. President Eisenhower will use it to broadcast his Christmas message, which will be the first voice to be relayed from space. In August 1960, NASA, which would celebrate its second anniversary a few months later, launches Echo. Echo is a large, 41-m diameter metallized sphere. Its metallized surface allows it to reflect signals sent from Earth, and thus send then back to Earth. It is done in a purely passive way, without the use of electronics. Echo can be used to establish intercontinental connections. Then we have Telstar 1. Telstar 1 is launched in 1962. Its orbit around Earth is an ellipse, and this time, it carries electronics on board, which enable it to receive a signal, to amplify it, and to send it back to Earth. This electronic architecture, called transponder, still inspires satellites today, and with its roughly 77 kilos and 86 centimeters in height, Telstar 1 bears a slight resemblance with the Death Star, although 15 years before George Lucas invented it.
Then, in 1963, comes Syncom 2. It is the first satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit, 36,000 km above the Earth. We will come back to the term geosynchronous later. It is used to relay telephone and television signals. Finally, in 1965, comes Intelsat 1, also called Early Bird, which will be the very first commercial satellite communication service launched by mankind. It is a geostationary satellite, and it is placed at an altitude of 36,000 km.
It is quite amazing to think that a mere 8 years after Sputnik 1′s first beeps, mankind already has a commercial satellite communication service. And that too is the magic of space conquest.