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German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) uses the term ‘satellite’ to describe the moons orbiting Jupiter.
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Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727) publishes Principia in which he states the three laws of motion and describes universal gravity. This lays the foundation for our understanding of rockets, satellites and orbits.
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The first fictional depiction of satellites being launched into orbit are published in Edward Everett Hale’s short story The Brick Moon.
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Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) publishes an article that shows how geostationary satellites could be used for worldwide radio and television broadcasts and communication.
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The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit around the Earth.
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NASA launches Tiros-1, the first weather satellite considered a success. It transmits infrared images of Earth’s cloud cover and is able to detect and chart hurricanes.
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Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934–1968) becomes the first person to orbit the Earth in his Vostok spacecraft.
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The first live transatlantic telecast is broadcast using Telstar-1, a low-orbit satellite.
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The Earth Resources Technology Satellite is launched. Landsat instruments acquire millions of images that are used to evaluate natural and human changes to the Earth.
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The Hubble Space Telescope is carried into orbit by the Space Shuttle. Its orbit outside the Earth’s atmosphere allows it to take sharp images that lead to breakthroughs in astrophysics.
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The first global positioning system constellation becomes operational. GPS is a space-based satellite navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth.
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The first component of the modular International Space Station is launched. It serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory.
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Starlink is an ongoing project by SpaceX, which aims to build a world wide internet signal, by building a satellite constellation. As of 2020, 775 satellites have been launched.
