Launched on October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite was the Soviet Sputnik 1. It was equipped with an on-board radio (the tranmission of signals through the free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves  with frequencies significantly below those of visiblie light) transmitter, an electronic device which in electronic and telecommunications, with the aid of antenna , produces radio  waves, that worked on two frequencies, 20.005 and 40.002 MHz.

In 1958, the first American satellite to relay communications was Project SCORE (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment), which used a tape recorder to store and forward voice messages. Store and forward is a telecommunications technique in which information is sent to an intermediate station where it is kept and sent at a later time to the final destination or to another intermediate station. SCORE was used to send a Christmas greeting to the world from the 34th U.S. President (1953-1961) Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an agency of the United States government responsible for the nation’s civilian space program and aeronautics and aerospace research, launched an Echo satellite in 1960. Project Echo was the first passive communications satellite experiment. NASA also introduced the 100-foot (30 m) aluminized PET film balloon as a passive reflector for radio communications. BoPET (Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties and electrical insulation.

Courier 1B is the world’s first active repeater satellite after launch on 4 October 1960. It was built by Philco, the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company (formerly known as the Spencer Company and later the Helios Electric Company), a pioneer in early battery, radio, and television production as well as former employer of Philo Farnsworth, inventor nof cathode ray tube television.

With the launch of Alouette 1 in 1962, Canada, a North American country, became the third country to put a man-made satellite into space. Because Canada did not have any domestic launch capabilities of its own (and still does not), Alouette 1, which was entirely built and funded by Canada, was launched by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from Vandenberg AFB in California.

The multi-billion dollar satellite industry has been growing every minute, everyday, in ways unimaginable, both in the private and public sectors in the last fifty years. It is also expected to grow in the future.

This industry is very, very expensive, making it remarkable for its projects, such as manufacture, launch and insurance of one satellite, which typically require upfront investment of at least a hundred million US Dollars. 

It is particularly active in North America and Western Europe having the largest commercial satellite transponders. The MENA Region, South Asia and Latin American markets, and to a certain extent emerging markets such as China, Brazil and Indonesia, are also fast developing. In this link, the MENA (Middle East-North Africa) region and a survey of the pertinent international and regional legal and regulatory framework are discussed.

According to an article, National Broadband Network Co-chief executive officer, Mike Quigley has revealed plans to construct and launch 2 x $500 million dollar satellites into orbit to deliver National Broadband Network services of at least 12 Megabits to Australian Households  that could take up to four years to be made.

A satellite can be of service to 200,000 premises, transmitting way more than enough bandwidth to service those outside the NBN’s fibre network. However, a further satellite was required for redundancy purposes. They also believe that the proposed NBN Satellite Network could also service those who live outside the main area around major metropolitan regions where access or difficult terrain could prevent fibre rollouts, as well as those in remote areas.

Putting up a project like this is a very excellent move. The world is changing fast and satellites should not be left behind. If it stagnates, the world will surely slow down.