The Rise and Fall of COMSAT

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.

Introduction: A Technological Camelot 1. The Communications Satellite Act of 1962 2. Creating COMSAT 3. Creating Intelsat 4. Rising to the Peak 5. Mobile Satellite Communications 6. Technology 7. DOMSATs (COMSTAR and SBS) 8. Direct Broadcast Satellites 9. The Old Guard Retires 10. Fadeout Epilog: Post-Mortem