1945–2010: 65 Years of Satellite History From Early Visions to Latest Missions

This paper takes a broad view on the history and the present status of satellite communications and broadcasting. The necessary starting point of this overview is the visionary papers produced by Sir Arthur C. Clarke and John Pierce. This was the real dawn of the satellite communication era. This paper attempts to explain the “fil rouge” of the evolution of satellite technologies across six decades, analyzing successes and failures of past satellite missions, and concluding with a picture of future satellite communications.