ailzadeh. C 2016 Riaz Esmailzadeh. Published 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Companion Website: www.wiley.com/go/BTTM Broadband Telecommunications Technologies and Management Historical Note Artificial satellites, long confined to the domain of science fiction were first realised with the launch of Sputnik (pictured), 1 a 58 cm diameter sphere with 4 transmitting antennas, by the Soviet Union in 1957. While the principles behind artificial satellites and the physics of maintaining orbiting the Earth were well known, rocket science was not advanced enough to launch these satellites to sufficiently high altitudes where satellites could maintain their orbit. The impact of the launch of Sputnik was greatly felt at the height of the Cold War: the United States rightly felt that it was behind in the 'space race' and started a number of programmes to catch up. In time these programmes have led to space probes landing on the Moon, Mars and soon a comet, and travelling to the edge of the Solar System and beyond. Many countries have started a space programme, and contributed to these developments. A permanent space station hosting scientists from many countries has been orbiting the Earth since 1998. Soon there will be regular space tourists travelling to the edge of the space for several minutes, and later on staying in 'space hotels' for longer periods. This is another example of the extent of technological advances of the second half of the 20th century in a large number of fields which have facilitated these achievements. Sputnik's telecommunications system was a simple battery powered transmitter, sending beacons at two frequencies of 20 and 40 MHz, and its impact is perhaps the greatest on the field of telecommunications. Some by-products of the 'space race' were indirect: for example in order to catch up and regain lead in the race, the United States established the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) 4 months after the launch of Sputnik. Arpanet, the fore- runner of the internet, was one of the programmes fund