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Mar 7, 2014 · An Early History of Satellites Timeline. March 7, 2014. The Space Race of the 1950s saw the Soviet Union and United States competing to send the first artificial satellite into orbit. By 1957 the first stage of the race had been won, with the Soviet Union launching Sputnik. Made possible by advances in technology, Sputnik was only the beginning ...
This timeline of artificial satellites and space probes includes uncrewed spacecraft including technology demonstrators, observatories, lunar probes, and interplanetary probes. First satellites from each country are included. Not included are most Earth science satellites, commercial satellites or crewed missions .
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- 6th Century BCE – Ancient Greek Geocentric Model
- 14th Century – Ibn al-Shatir Anticipates Copernicus
- 1543 – Copernicus’s Heliocentric Model
- 1572 – Tycho Brahe’s Accurate Measurements
- 1609–1610 – Galileo and Heliocentrism
- 1610 – Kepler Uses The Term ‘Satellite’
- 1687 – Newton and Gravity
- 1869–1879 – First Fictional Artificial Satellites
- 1903 – First Orbit of Earth Calculated
- 1928 – First Description of A Space Station
Ancient Greek astronomers believe the Earth is the centre of the Universe and that all celestial bodies orbit the Earth. Anaximander describes this in c550 BCE. Aristotle (384–322 BCE) and Claudius Ptolemy (c100–c170 CE) develop more complex geocentric models.
Islamic astronomer Ibn al-Shatir (1304–1375) of the Maragha school accepts the geocentric model but produces configurations that challenge the Ptolemaic model. His calculations are similar to the later calculations of Copernicus.
Polish astronomer Copernicus (1473–1543) proposes that the Sun is stationary in the centre of the Universe and the Earth and other planets revolve around it. The church suppresses this controversial idea but it revolutionises astronomy.
Danish astronomer Tycho (Tyge) Brahe (1546–1601) designs and builds instruments that allow him to accurately observe stellar and planetary positions. His records of the motion of Mars are later used by Kepler.
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei’s improvements to the telescope allow him to observe Venus’s phases, the largest satellites of Jupiter, a supernova and sunspots. His discoveries prove the Copernican heliocentric system. The Roman Inquisition finds him guilty of heresy.
German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) uses the term ‘satellite’ to describe the moons orbiting Jupiter. He develops the three laws of planetary motion, and his accurate astronomical tables provide evidence for the Copernican heliocentric model.
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.
The first fictional depictions of satellites being launched into orbit are published in Edward Everett Hale’s short story The Brick Moon (1869) and Jules Verne’s The Begum’s Fortune(1879).
Russian Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935) proposes using rocketry to launch spacecraft. He calculates the orbital speed required for a minimal orbit around the Earth at 8 km/s and that a multi-stage rocket fuelled by liquid propellants could be used to achieve this.
Slovenian Herman Potočnik (1892–1929) describes geostationary satellites and communication between them and Earth using radio. He also describes a space station in detail and the use of orbiting spacecraft for detailed observation of the Earth and scientific experiments.
A history of communication satellites must begin with the first satellite, though it was not used for communication. On October 4, 1957, the former Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, making the Soviet Union the first space power and starting the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States was the second country to ...
“The perception was that the Soviets were ahead in human space flight, and they were creating new accomplishments faster than the U.S., but Telstar represented an aspect of space flight that the ...
Apr 1, 2020 · Image taken on April 1, 1960 by TIROS 1. This was the first television picture of Earth from space. At this moment of a major U.S. accomplishment, Eisenhower perhaps intended a touch of humor. Yet TIROS stood as one key marker of the ways in which the Space Age’s new technologies were shifting the human perspective on our home planet.
The Satellite Era Begins. The following appeared in the March 1960 issue of Weather Bureau Topics: TIROS I undergoes vibration testing prior to launch. Photo by NASA. At 6:40 am EST on April 1, 1960, a three stage 90-foot tall Thor-Able rocket lifted a drum shaped, 270-pound satellite from the launching pad at the Atlantic Missile Range at Cape ...
