The Rise and Fall of COMSAT

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-viii

   PDF

2. Introduction: A Technological Camelot

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 1-5

3. The Communications Satellite Act of 1962

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 6-36

4. Creating COMSAT

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 37-66

5. Creating Intelsat

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 67-87

6. Rising to the Peak

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 88-111

7. Mobile Satellite Communications

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 112-130

8. Technology

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 131-143

9. Domsats (COMSTAR and SBS)

   • David J. Whalen

   Pages 144-171

10. Direct Broadcast Satellites

    • David J. Whalen

    Pages 172-183

11. The Old Guard Retires

    • David J. Whalen

    Pages 184-202

12. Fadeout

    • David J. Whalen

    Pages 203-221

13. Epilog: Post-Mortem

    • David J. Whalen

    Pages 222-225

14. Back Matter

    Pages 226-278

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After pioneering this technology and growing the market, COMSAT fell prey to changes in government policy and to its own lack of entrepreneurial talent. The author explores the factors which contributed to this rise and fall of COMSAT.

• business
• communication
• satellite

• University of North Dakota, USA

  David J. Whalen

David J. Whalen gained BA and MS degrees in Astronomy at Boston University and University of Massachusetts, USA, respectively, spent five years in the US Navy (A6A Intruder), and began a 30-year career as a communications satellite engineer. Since 2007, he has been teaching in the Department of Space Studies at the University of North Dakota, USA, where he was Chair of the Department of Space Studies from 2007 to 2010.

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