AUSTIN, Texas — In the summer of 1962, the world was teetering on the brink of a new era.
In the cold void of space, above Earth’s atmosphere, the Telstar communication satellite had begun its celestial journey.
Launched by Bell Labs in conjunction with NASA and AT&T, Telstar was the first active communications satellite. Its mission was simple yet audacious: to beam television signals across the Atlantic Ocean. Until then, such transmissions had been restricted to undersea cables and cumbersome relay stations.
The satellite's significance became strikingly clear on July 23, 1962. As Telstar orbited above the earth, it captured and relayed live broadcasts between the U.S. and Europe.
The program was seen by millions, and the impact of Telstar was profound. It marked the beginning of a new era in which instant global communication was possible. No longer would television news video from Europe take days to reach America – it could now be transmitted in real time.
Popular television journalist Walter Cronkite shared with viewers the importance of the first-ever live, global program in 1962: “We, in television, are convinced that the ability to portray immediacy, to realize what's new and what's going on, is the real significance of this new communications bridge.”
Today, we live in an age where global communication is instantaneous and seamless. It all began with Telstar, 62 years ago this week.