Commercial use of space
[1][2] Commercial satellite use began in 1962 with Telstar 1, transmitting TV signals across the Atlantic Ocean.
NASA's TIROS satellites advanced meteorological research, while Intelsat I in 1965 showed commercial viability.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licenses six U.S. spaceports and oversees commercial rocket launches, with global capacity expanding from sites in Russia, France, and China.
Investment in reusable launch vehicles by companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin is driving innovation in this sector.
Satellite imagery provides detailed views of Earth, sold by imaging companies to governments and businesses like Apple Maps.
Commercial possibilities of satellites were further realized when the Syncom 3, orbiting near the International Date Line, was used to telecast the 1964 Olympic Games from Tokyo to the United States.
[11][12] On April 6, 1965, the Hughes Aircraft Company placed the Intelsat I communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit over the Atlantic Ocean.
Intelsat I allowed for near-instantaneous contact between Europe and North America by handling television, telephone and fax transmissions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has licensed six commercial spaceports in the United States: Wallops Flight Facility, Kodiak Launch Complex, Spaceport Florida, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and the Vandenberg Air Force Base.
[citation needed] Commercial space flight has spurred investment into the development of an efficient reusable launch vehicle (RLV) which can place larger payloads into orbit.
[citation needed] Not included are satellites constructed for military use, nor for activities associated with any human space flight program.
In 1994, DirecTV debuted direct broadcast satellite by introducing a signal receiving dish 18 inches in diameter.
[26] Sirius launched the initial phase of its service in four cities on February 14, 2002,[27] expanding to the rest of the contiguous United States on July 1, 2002.
[29] This enables its use for markets such as cruise ships, long-haul buses, flights and rural areas.
It allows small electronic receivers to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high precision (within a few centimeters to metres) using time signals transmitted along a line of sight by radio from satellites.
Satnav systems operate independently of any telephonic or internet reception, though these technologies can enhance the usefulness of the positioning information generated.
[31] Minerals and volatiles could be mined then used in space for in-situ utilization (e.g., construction materials and rocket propellant) or taken back to Earth.
These include gold, iridium, silver, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium and tungsten for transport back to Earth; iron, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, aluminium, and titanium for construction; water and oxygen to sustain astronauts; as well as hydrogen, ammonia, and oxygen for use as rocket propellant.
