360Telstar relays the first live television across the Atlantic
On 10 July 1962, the satellite Telstar 1 was launched from Florida. Within weeks, it relayed the first live television pictures between the United States and Europe. Viewers saw each other's countries live for the first time. A pop instrumental named after it reached number one in Britain and America. Satellites now carry television and phone calls worldwide.
Before 1962, television pictures could not cross oceans live. Film had to be flown across the Atlantic.
Telstar 1 was built by the American company Bell Labs and launched by NASA on 10 July 1962. It was a small sphere covered with solar cells, and it received signals from a ground station and sent them on to another.
On 23 July 1962, it relayed the first public live transatlantic television broadcast, seen by millions in Europe and North America. It included a press conference by President Kennedy and part of a baseball game.
Telstar's low orbit meant it could be used only for short periods as it passed overhead. From 1965, satellites in much higher orbits, which stay above the same spot, provided permanent links.
- 10 July 1962
- Telstar 1 is launched
- 23 July 1962
- The first public live transatlantic TV broadcast
- 1965
- Early Bird, the first commercial geostationary satellite
Sources: Nokia Bell Labs · NASA · Britannica.