Communication Satellites

Astronauts have journeyed off the planet earth and out into space. Ventures into space have led to the latest tool in long-distance communication-the communications satellite. The satellite is equipped with radio receivers and transmitters. Rockets boost it into orbit, and the force of gravity keeps it from flying off into space. The communications satellite is the earth's captive, circling the planet in space. The satellite acts as a television relay station. Engineers on the earth bounce television signals off it at an single, and the signals come down at a different angle to receivers on another continent. Television signals are blocked by mountains, by the earth's curvature, or sometimes by buildings. Therefore, they have to be relayed from one transmitter to another in order to travel long distances.

In 1962, the first important United States Communications Satellite, Telstar I, was place in orbit. Television engineers in Europe bounced a picture off Telstar, and viewers in the United States saw it. For the first time, people sat at home in New York and watched something happening in London or Paris at the moment it took place.

In 1965, the United States launched Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite and Rusia launched Molniya 1. Today people in many parts of the world watch live television from other continents.

The United States also launched Palapa, the communications satellite, for Indonesia. The Indonesian government bought this satellite. The existence of the Palapa Satellites has helped the development of communications in Indonesia. It is great importance for the people in Indonesia because Indonesia consist of thousands of islands.