Milestones in the history of communications satellites.
| Satellite | First | Launched | Polity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sputnik 1 | First satellite with radio transmitter | October 4, 1957 | Soviet Union |
| 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 | United States |
| TIROS-1 | First satellite to transmit television images from space (weather) | April 1, 1960 | United States |
| Echo 1 | First passive reflector communications satellite | August 12, 1960 | United States |
| Courier 1B | First active repeater communications satellite First communications satellite powered by solar cells to recharge storage batteries | October 4, 1960 | United States |
| OSCAR 1 | First amateur radio satellite First satellite ejected into orbit as a secondary launch payload | December 12, 1961 | 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 | 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 | United States |
| Syncom 2 | First communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit | July 16, 1963 | 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 | United States |
| OSCAR-III | First amateur radio communications satellite (relay/transponder); first OSCAR powered by solar cells | March 9, 1965 | United States |
| Intelsat I | First commercial communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit | April 6, 1965 | United States |
| Orbita | First national TV network based on satellite television | November 1967 | 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 | United States |
| Anik 1 | First domestic communications satellite system using geosynchronous orbit (Canada) | November 9, 1972 | 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 | United States |
| Symphonie | First geostationary communications satellite with unified propulsion system for station-keeping | December 19, 1974 | West Germany France |
| AO-6 & AO-7 | First satellite-to-satellite communications relay (ground -> AO-7 -> AO-6 -> ground) | January 1975 (occurred) | United States |
| Ekran | First serial Direct-To-Home TV communication satellite | October 26, 1976 | Soviet Union |
| SBS-3 | First commercial use of the U.S. Space Shuttle | November 11, 1982 | United States |
| Tracking and data relay satellite-A | First satellite of first full-time communications relay network for other spacecraft | April 4, 1983 | United States |
| ACTS Gigabit Satellite Network | First communication satellite network to operate in the 20-30 GHz frequency band | September 12, 1993 | United States |
| Iridium 1 | First satellite for satellite telephone service | May 5, 1997 | United States |
| AO-40 | First satellite to use GPS for navigation and attitude determination in High Earth orbit | November 16, 2000 | Germany United States |
| Artemis | First demonstration of inter-satellite laser communication | November 21, 2001 (experiment) | European Union |
| SuitSat | First use of a decommissioned spacesuit as a radio satellite | February 3, 2006 (deployed) | Russia United States |
| BRIsat | First satellite owned and operated by a bank | October 18, 2016 (Launch) | Indonesia |
See also
- Timeline of first artificial satellites by country
- First images of Earth from space
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