<P> The first artificial satellite used solely to further advances in global communications was a balloon named Echo 1 . Echo 1 was the world's first artificial communications satellite capable of relaying signals to other points on Earth . It soared 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) above the planet after its Aug. 12, 1960 launch, yet relied on humanity's oldest flight technology--ballooning . Launched by NASA, Echo 1 was a 30 - metre (100 ft) aluminized PET film balloon that served as a passive reflector for radio communications . The world's first inflatable satellite--or "satelloon", as they were informally known--helped lay the foundation of today's satellite communications . The idea behind a communications satellite is simple: Send data up into space and beam it back down to another spot on the globe . Echo 1 accomplished this by essentially serving as an enormous mirror, 10 stories tall, that could be used to reflect communications signals . </P> <P> The first American satellite to relay communications was Project SCORE in 1958, which used a tape recorder to store and forward voice messages . It was used to send a Christmas greeting to the world from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.; Courier 1B, built by Philco, launched in 1960, was the world's first active repeater satellite . </P> <P> There are two major classes of communications satellites, passive and active . Passive satellites only reflect the signal coming from the source, toward the direction of the receiver . With passive satellites, the reflected signal is not amplified at the satellite, and only a very small amount of the transmitted energy actually reaches the receiver . Since the satellite is so far above Earth, the radio signal is attenuated due to free - space path loss, so the signal received on Earth is very, very weak . Active satellites, on the other hand, amplify the received signal before retransmitting it to the receiver on the ground . Passive satellites were the first communications satellites, but are little used now . Telstar was the second active, direct relay communications satellite . Belonging to AT&T as part of a multi-national agreement between AT&T, Bell Telephone Laboratories, NASA, the British General Post Office, and the French National PTT (Post Office) to develop satellite communications, it was launched by NASA from Cape Canaveral on July 10, 1962, in the first privately sponsored space launch . Relay 1 was launched on December 13, 1962, and it became the first satellite to transmit across the Pacific Ocean on November 22, 1963 . </P> <P> An immediate antecedent of the geostationary satellites was the Hughes Aircraft Company's Syncom 2, launched on July 26, 1963 . Syncom 2 was the first communications satellite in a geosynchronous orbit . It revolved around the earth once per day at constant speed, but because it still had north - south motion, special equipment was needed to track it . Its successor, Syncom 3 was the first geostationary communications satellite . Syncom 3 obtained a geosynchronous orbit, without a north - south motion, making it appear from the ground as a stationary object in the sky . </P>

Difference between active and passive satellite in wikipedia
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