Communications satellite of a GEO satellite. Like LEOs, these satellites don’t maintain a stationary distance from the earth. This is in contrast to the geostationary orbit, where satellites are always approximately from the earth. Typically the orbit of a medium earth orbit satellite is about above earth. In various patterns, these satellites make the trip around earth in anywhere from 2 to 8 hours. In 1962, the first communications satellite, Telstar, was launched. It was a medium earth orbit satellite designed to help facilitate high-speed telephone signals. Although it was the first practical way to transmit signals over the horizon, its major
APT Satellite Holdings APT Satellite Holdings APT Satellite Holdings Limited is a Bermuda-incorporated holding company. Its Hong Kong-incorporated subsidiary APT Satellite Co., Ltd. is the operator of the Apstar satellite constellation. APT Satellite Holdings and APT Satellite are headquartered in Hong Kong. As at 30 June 2016 the company had a market capitalisation of HK$3.816 billion. It is a red chip company, as it was an overseas incorporated company, but controlled by the Chinese Government indirectly (via China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation). Fellow Hong Kong-based satellite company AsiaSat was also partially owned by the Chinese Government (via CITIC Group), but belongs to