Comsat

In 1962, the US Congress passed the Communications Satellite Act ¹ that authorized the establishment of the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT). COMSAT was established as a publicly owned but government-chartered company, tasked with developing both domestic and international commercial satellite communications services on behalf of the United States.

In August 1964, COMSAT became the US signatory to the newly formed International Telecommunications Satellite Consortium (Intelsat), established by 11 nations to develop a global satellite communications system. COMSAT played a leading role in the launch of Intelsat I (Early Bird) on 6 April 1965, the first commercial geostationary communications satellite.

In 1976, COMSAT introduced Marisat, a system of three geosynchronous satellites providing maritime mobile services for the US Navy and commercial shipping, and Comstar, a domestic communications satellite system. To separate these activities from its Intelsat regulatory role, COMSAT established a subsidiary, Comsat General. In 1982, the Marisat system—satellites and ground stations—became the foundation of the newly created International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat), extending COMSAT’s legacy into the maritime domain.