Telstar Beams Live TV Across the Atlantic
Telstar, a beach-ball-sized satellite launched by AT&T and built by Bell Labs, beamed the first live television signals across the Atlantic Ocean on July 23, 1962. The initial transmission was a flag waving at Andover, Maine, received in Pleumeur-Bodou, France. Later that day, viewers in Europe watched live images from the United States for the first time. Telstar orbited every 157 minutes and could only relay signals for about 20 minutes per pass when it was visible to both ground stations simultaneously. It was powered by 3,600 solar cells and cost $50 million to develop and launch. The satellite inspired a hit instrumental by The Tornados and proved that real-time global communication via space was commercially viable.
July 23, 1962
64 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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