Hughes facility, Early Bird was the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit. Intelsat I weighed only 76 pounds (35 kilograms) and was less than 3 feet (1 meter) high. Nevertheless, it achieved several firsts in connecting Earth from space, providing the first direct contact between Europe and North America via television, telephone, telegraph and fax. With the next two generations of spacecraft, Intelsat II and III, Intelsat was on its way to fulfilling its mission. Intelsat II was a series of four satellites also built by Hughes. A different aerospace firm, TRW, built the Intelsat III spacecraft. The full network went into service just in time for Apollo 11. When Neil Armstrong emerged from the lunar lander, one of his first actions was to deploy a TV camera for the live feed. The signals followed a circuitous path, traveling first to a ground station in southern Australia and then to one in 42 Frontiers August 2014 eastern Australia, which forwarded them to an Intelsat III satellite above the Pacific Ocean. From here the signals could be shared with other Intelsat satellites and broadcast live by television. Apollo 11 was followed by other “live via satellite” broadcasts that helped connect the world, including every Olympics since 1968 and every World Cup since 1970. Intelsat also provided the hotline connecting the White House and the Kremlin during the Cold War. Intelsat has continued to advance communications satellite capability, providing an early demonstration of the Internet as well as delivering the first international, digital high-definition (HD) transmission between the United States and Japan. Intelsat membership continued to grow, reaching 200 countries and territories by 2001. The same year, the organization achieved another milestone when it was privatized. Today, Intelsat is the world’s leading provider of global satellite services, operating a network of about 50 satellites. And the partnership with Boeing continues. Space & Intelligence Systems is building a new series called the Intelsat EpicNG (for Next Generation) satellites, which will continue connecting the world from space. n paula.r.shawa@boeing.com PHOTOS: (Top left) The Intelsat II satellites, built by Hughes Space and Communications, were launched on Delta rockets built by Douglas Aircraft starting in 1966. Both companies are now part of Boeing. BOEING ARCHIVES (Bottom left) In May 1992, mission specialists help launch Intelsat VI from Space Shuttle Endeavour’s cargo bay. NASA GRAPHIC: (Top right) Boeing continues to partner with Intelsat and is building a new series of satellites called the Intelsat EpicNG (Next Generation). BOEING
Frontiers August 2014 Issue
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