A Brief History of Satellite Internet
So you have your satellite internet and you use it to check out New York Energy Rates and the like during your regular browsing sessions but do you actually understand the importance of what you are doing, or what you are capable of? In the 1950s, the United States was just beginning to broach the science of using satellites, but it may surprise you to know that it was not the United States who launched the first man made satellite into Earth’s orbit – it was Russia.
As the Russian R-7 rocket lifted Sputnik-1 into the air, the space races began. Satellites were launched between both nations and as their race took on new life and energy, new companies took an interest. In 1960, AT&T declared their intentions to launch their own communication satellites and by 1964, six communication satellites were in orbit around the Earth, but it didn’t stop there. As the internet continued to improve with the technology, ways to transmit data wirelessly were also being researched and in 1973, two European computers were linked to an American network through satellite relay.
By 1996, the first satellite internet service was put through its paces and consumers in remote locations who could not afford the long distance charges were able to use DirecPC, which would later be known as HughesNet. This would set the precedent for satellite internet and the way we know it today.