• 5 months ago
On July 10, 1962, the communications satellite Telstar 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission to beam live television from Europe to the United States.

This was the first privately sponsored space-faring mission. Two days after the launch, Telstar 1 transmitted the world's first transatlantic television signal. This demonstrated that transmitting information via satellite was feasible. Telstar transmitted images of President John F. Kennedy, singer Yves Montand from France, sporting events, Mount Rushmore, and the American flag waving. The satellite was only operational until Nov. of 1962. In that time, it assisted over 400 telephone, facsimile, telegraph, and television transmissions.
Transcript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03In 1962, the communications satellite Telstar 1 was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida
00:09on a mission to beam live television from Europe to the United States.
00:12This was the first privately sponsored spacefaring mission.
00:16Two days after the launch, Telstar 1 transmitted the world's first transatlantic television signal.
00:21This demonstrated that transmitting information via satellite was feasible.
00:25Telstar 1 transmitted images of President John F. Kennedy, singer Yves Montand from France,
00:30sporting events, Mount Rushmore, and an American flag waving.
00:34The satellite was only operational until November of 1962.
00:38In its four months of operation, it assisted over 400 telephone, fax, telegraph, and television transmissions.
00:45And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:48NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

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