Tuesday, December 19th. The satellite Atlas was launched from Cape Canaveral on this date in 1958. The spacecraft would make history the next day, beaming the first voice heard from space — a recording of President Eisenhower with a 58-word Christmas greeting. These words came at the height of the Cold War and early in the space race. Just 14½ months earlier, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite.
Currently, there are around 1,460 active satellites in Earth’s orbit. Satellite telecommunications involves nearly 540 establishments in nearly a $7 billion a year business, and employs over 8,300 people.
You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey here.
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