HISTORY OF INTELSAT FROM 1960s UPTILL NOW The 1960s

December 20, 1961 The United Nations General Assembly adopts Resolution 1721, stating that global satellite communications should be made available on a non-discriminatory basis.August 31, 1962 President John F. Kennedy signs the Communications Satellite Act, with the goal of establishing a satellite system in cooperation with other nations.The International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium (INTELSAT) is established on the basis of agreements signed by governments and operating entities in August 20, 1964 April 6, 1965 Early Bird (Intelsat I) is launched into synchronous orbit. This is the world's first commercial communications satellite and "live via satellite" is born.

First Transatlantic Communication

June 28, 1965 Early Bird begins providing television and voice services. Officials in the United States and Europe exchange greetings in a transatlantic ceremony introducing the new service.

Pacific Satellite Communication

January 26, 1967 Commercial satellite service between the United States and Japan is established, with live television coverage in both countries.

First global Satellite Communication

July 1, 1969 The world's first global satellite communications system is complete with the Intelsat III satellite covering the Indian Ocean Region.

Moon Landing via Intelsat

July 20, 1969 Intelsat transmits television images of the moon landing around the world - a record 500 million television viewers worldwide see Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon "Live via Intelsat."

The 1970s

A Decade of Expansion
August 20, 1974 Intelsat celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Membership has gone from the original 11 countries to 86. Intelsat now carries 5,000 international telephone circuits and has capacity of 20,000 voice circuits and five television channels of available in-orbit capacity.December 24, 1974. The Direct Communications Link, or "Hot Line," is activated connecting the White House and the Kremlin via the Intelsat system.

Apollo/SOYOZ Mission Coverage

July 15, 1975Television coverage of the joint APOLLO/SOYUZ mission, the first meeting in space of American and Russian astronauts, is broadcast using the Intelsat system, providing television access for the nine-day space adventure to more than one billion people - one quarter of the world's population at that time.

Record World Cup Coverage

June 26, 1978About one billion people in 42 countries watch television coverage provided by Intelsat of the World Cup men's football matches in Argentina. Total viewers set a new high for television coverage, surpassing the record set during the 1976 Olympics.

Earliest Internet Demonstration

July 1978Intelsat participates in the earliest demonstration of the Internet, using the Intelsat IV-A satellite between Etam, West Virginia, Goonhilly Downs in the United Kingdom and Tanum, Sweden, with land-line connections between Norsas in Norway and University College in London.

The 1980s

Growth with Global Satellite Coverage

July 29, 1981Intelsat provides global television coverage for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.July 13, 1985Worldwide television coverage of the Live Aid Concert to benefit the famine victims in Africa reaches 88 nations via the Intelsat system.September 1988Continuing a 20-year tradition of Olympic broadcasts, Intelsat provides record-breaking television coverage of the Seoul Summer Olympics, using nine satellites to provide coverage to a worldwide audience of three billion people.

The 1990's

Taking Global Satellite Service to New Places

Intelsat 603 Success May 7, 1992NASA and Intelsat collaborate on a historic and successful space mission to retrieve and re-boost into space the INTELSAT 603 spacecraft, stranded in a low earth orbit after a failed launch in 1990.November 30, 1998 A fundamental step to its commercialization, Intelsat transfers working capital, five in-orbit satellites, one in-construction satellite and their associated orbital roles to the newly created company, New Skies Satellites N.V.

2000 and 2010

Entering the Next Millennium

Bicentennial Programming
January 1, 2000Intelsat carries a record volume of programming - more than 30 channels representing more than 1,650 hours - for the millennium transition, with cascading delivery of the first television images of the year 2000 to millions of viewers across every time zone. September 13th-October 21, 2000 Intelsat makes Olympic Games in Sydney available to a record four billion people worldwide, as broadcasters use more than 40,000 hours of capacity provided by 10 INTELSAT satellites.July 18, 2001 Intelsat becomes a private company Intelsat, Ltd. - after 37 years as an intergovernmental organization. Intelsat begins investing in ground infrasturcture and media-oriented satellites.February 15, 2003 The Intelsat 907 satellite is launched aboard an Ariane 44L vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana. March 17, 2004 Intelsat acquires four operational satellites and related customer contracts from Loral, giving immediate entry into the strategic North American video and corporate data markets.

ILS Proton Rocket Launches IS-10-12 Satellite

June 15, 2004 Intelsat's IS-10-02 satellite is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard an ILS Proton rocket. The IS-10-02 is the most powerful spacecraft in Intelsat's fleet and will deliver high-power coverage of Europe, Africa, South America and the Middle East.January 28, 2005Intelsat announces the successful closing of the acquisition of Intelsat by Intelsat Holdings, Ltd., an entity formed at the direction of funds advised by or associated with Apax Partners Worldwide LLP,.June 23, 2005 Intelsat's IA-8 satellite is successfully launched aboard Sea Launch's Zenit-3SL rocket.

Intelsat Ranked Top Teleport Service Provider

November 2, 2006 Intelsat places first on the World Teleport Association's (WTA) annual rankings of the top teleport operators. Intelsat led the list of the 2006 Global Top Twenty.July 3, 2006 Intelsat announces the completion of its merger with PanAmSat Holding Corporation. July 7, 2007 Intelsat enables the world's largest high-definition music event in history, Live Earth, to take place. October 9, 2007 Intelsat signed a contract with the National Hockey League (NHL) Network for distribution services of its new HD channel via Intelsat's Galaxy 15 satellite which resides within Intelsat's Galaxy neighborhood, and reaches thousands of cable headends.

World Radiocommunication Conference Success

November 16, 2007 Intelsat leads industry to victory in the World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-07) decision to ensure a non-interruption, non-interference policy for the future use of C-band on a global basis.February 4, 2008 Intelsat, Ltd. announces the successful closing of the acquisition of all of the primary equity ownership of its parent, Intelsat Holdings, Ltd. ("Intelsat Holdings") by Serafina Holdings, Limited ("Serafina Holdings"), an entity formed by funds advised by BC Partners, Silver Lake and certain other equity investors.

Intelsat to Invest in 3.5 Billion Satellite Program

June 11, 2009 Estimated at 3.5 Billion Intelsat announces its largest investment program to date. This investment program will either result in refreshing or replacing 11 satellites that will be launched by 2013. April & November 2009 In late April Intelsat Ltd. announces the Australian Defense Force (ADF) has agreed to purchase a specialized UHF communications payload aboard.January 25, 2010 The Commercial Broadband Satellite Program (CBSP) was awarded earlier last year to Intelsat General Corporation.