By Tim Lambert
Artificial satellites have had a huge impact on daily life since the first one was launched in 1957. They have helped science, communications, navigation, and spying!.
The idea of launching an artificial satellite around the Earth occurred as early as the 19th century. In 1869, Edward Everett Hale wrote a story called The Brick Moon. In 1928, a Slovenian named Herman Potočnik made detailed drawings of a space station. In 1945, the science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke proposed a system of geostationary satellites for communication.
However, artificial satellites had to wait for the development of rockets. On 4 October 1957, the Russians launched the first satellite, Sputnik 1. On 31 January 1958, the USA launched its first satellite, Explorer I. Vanguard, the first solar-powered satellite, was launched on 17 March 1958. It’s the oldest human-made object still orbiting the Earth.
In 1960, the USA launched the first weather satellite. It was called TIROS-1. The first geo-stationary weather satellite was launched in 1975. Weather satellites greatly helped weather forecasting.
Satellites also aided navigation. The first navigational satellite, Transit 1B, was also launched in 1960. It was used by US naval submarines to determine their position. In the 1970s, the Global Positioning System (GPS) was first developed by the USA. It was operational by 1993 and was made available for civilian use. In 1999, the first smartphones with built-in GPS went on sale. In the 1990s, the first vehicles with GPS tracking were introduced. However, at first, civilian GPS had deliberately limited accuracy. High-quality GPS was reserved for the military. This policy was known as Selective Availability. It ended in 2000.
Satellites also had a great impact on communications. Telstar, a communications satellite, was launched on 10 July 1962. The next day it became the first satellite to transmit TV pictures across the Atlantic. In 1965, the USA launched the world’s first commercial communications satellite. It was called Early Bird. Also in 1965, France launched its first satellite from Algeria. It was called Asterix.
Meanwhile, in 1962, NASA launched the first Canadian-made satellite. It was called Alouette 1. In 1967, the first British-made satellite, Ariel 3, was launched from California.
On 11 February 1970, Japan launched its first satellite. It was called Ohsumi and it was launched from Kyushu Island. On 24 April 1970, China launched its first satellite. It was called Dong Fang Hang I. India launched its first satellite in 1975. It was called Aryabhata.
Meanwhile, in 1971, the Soviet Union launched the first space station. It was called Salyut 1. The first Landsat, an Earth observation satellite, was launched by the USA in 1972. The Landsat satellites have given scientists a wealth of information about the Earth.
The first Swedish satellite, Viking, was launched in 1986. It was launched from French Guiana. Israel launched its first satellite, Ofeq 1 in 1988. The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990. The International Space Station was launched in 1998.
In 2009, Iran launched a satellite called Omid. South Korea launched its first satellite, STSAT-2C, in 2013. New Zealand launched its first satellite, Humanity Star, in 2018.
Last revised 2026