Satellite communications - Intelsat and global patterns
Abstract
The global pattern of mankind's population growth is examined, taking into account the exponential increase in population which began only in the 17th century. As world population has grown, trade has increased, and transportation and communications have become vitally important. A revolution in global communications was initiated when Intelsat launched the first international communications satellite, 'Early Bird', in April 1965. Since April 1965, a tremendous development in global communications by means of satellites has taken place. The Intelsat VI satellite will have a capacity of 36,000 telephone circuits plus 2 TV channels, while the capacity of Early Bird was only 240 telephone circuits. Today, Intelsat is truly an international organization which includes 108 member countries. Attention is given to the particular importance of the Intelsat services to the developing countries, the exploration of new technologies and system concepts, and the extension of services to those portions of the global village which have remained electronically isolated.
- Publication:
-
NASA STI/Recon Technical Report A
- Pub Date:
- October 1983
- Bibcode:
- 1983STIA...8416891A
- Keywords:
-
- Developing Nations;
- Economic Development;
- Intelsat Satellites;
- Spacecraft Communication;
- Technology Utilization;
- Domestic Satellite Communications Systems;
- Populations;
- Communications and Radar