Telstar 1

Telstar 1 replica, Science Museum, London Bell Labs built this faceted sphere, and NASA launched it on July 10, 1962. The solar panels set into the shell powered a receiver and transmitter, so Telstar amplified signals rather than just bouncing them back. It is often called the first active communications satellite, though the US Army's Courier 1B had already received and retransmitted messages in 1960. Telstar's own first is clearer: the day after launch it carried test television pictures across the Atlantic, and the first public live transatlantic broadcast followed on July 23.