Satellite Internet access Satellite Internet access Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through communications satellites. Modern consumer grade satellite Internet service is typically provided to individual users through geostationary satellites that can offer relatively high data speeds, with newer satellites using to achieve downstream data speeds up to 506 Mbps. Following the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik 1, by the Soviet Union in October 1957, the US successfully launched the Explorer 1 satellite in 1958. The first commercial communications satellite was Telstar 1, built by Bell Labs and launched in July 1962. The idea of a geosynchronous satellite—one that could orbit
DirecTV satellite fleet DirecTV satellite fleet The DirecTV satellite fleet is a group of communications satellites located at various geostationary orbits for the DirecTV satellite television service and HughesNet (formerly known as "DirecWAY" and "DirecPC") internet service. Defunct satellites are highlighted in gold. <nowiki>*</nowiki>Default sort column DirecTV-1R was launched in 1999. It was the first satellite used to broadcast local channels for DirecTV in major DMAs, and was positioned at 101.2° W when it first entered service. In 2004, when DirecTV completed moving all local channels in major DMAs to DirecTV-4S, DirecTV-1R was repositioned to 72.5° W to provide local channels for smaller