Highlights from 2008

	Jan 15 – The third Geo-mobile satellite for Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, based in the United Arab Emirates, was successfully launched. The Boeing-built Thuraya satellites enable mobile telephone services, transmitting and receiving calls through each satellite's 12.25-meter-aperture reflector.  Calls are routed directly from one handheld unit to another or to a terrestrial network. The system has the capacity for 25,120 simultaneous voice circuits.
	April 7 – Hughes announced the activation of its first HughesNet consumer broadband Internet subscriber on its SPACEWAY 3 Ka-band satellite, launched in August 2007.  SPACEWAY 3 employs high-performance, onboard digital processing, packet switching, and spot-beam technology to offer direct site-to-site connectivity at rates of from 512 Kbps up to 16 Mbps.
	April 14 – ICO Global Communications celebrated the successful launch of its new North American geosynchronous satellite, ICO G1. With a total mass of 6,634kg, ICO G1 was the largest satellite ever launched by an Atlas rocket, and the largest commercial satellite ever launched.  Operating in the 2 GHz S-band, the satellite will allow ICO to offer a new generation of mobile services for consumers, including fully interactive mobile video, navigation and emergency assistance service to be known as ICO mim™ (mobile interactive media).
	April 18 – Vietnam’s first telecommunications satellite, Vinasat-1, was successful placed into orbit by an Ariane rocket. The satellite, which will be operated by Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, will provide mobile broadcasting, direct-to-home television, video conferencing and data transmission to Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region. The satellite will also allow Vietnam's rural communities access to telephone communications, videoconferencing, high-speed Internet, radio, tele-medicine, and tele-education.
	July 7 – The highly anticipated launch of the ProtoStar -1 satellite opened up the DTH market in Asia.  The satellite is the first in a fleet of satellites aimed at supporting in-country partners in the Asia Pacific region.  It will offer satellite television packages with more than 150 channels of digital-quality video (ultimately high definition), audio, and pay-per-view programming, as well as powerful broadband Internet access.  In September, ProtoStar signed an agreement with Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications to provide Ku- and C-band services from the ProtoStar-1 satellite.
	July 29 - The longest-running merger proposal in history came to a close when XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio became one company named Sirius XM Satellite Radio.  The merger, announced February 2007, sought to combine the two US satellite radio companies in order to compete more effectively with terrestrial and Internet alternatives.
	Sept 28 – The Falcon 1 rocket’s fourth launch was the first success for Space Exploration Technology Corp. (SpaceX), and marked the entrance of the first privately funded, liquid-fuelled launcher into the competitive launch services market.  The brainchild of PayPal founder Elon Musk, the Falcon 1 rocket is designed to minimize price per launch for low-Earth-orbit satellites and is the precursor to the more powerful Falcon 9, which, if successful, will allow SpaceX to launch larger geostationary satellites and go head-to-head with the established launch services companies.
	Dec 1 – China launched a new remote sensing satellite aboard a Chinese CZ-2D Chang Zheng 2D launch vehicle.  The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and, according to state media, will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate and disaster prevention and relief, having a positive role in the country’s economic development.

About the Timeline   The SSPI Satellite Timeline is the first interactive site on the Web to chronicle the rich and diverse history of the commercial satellite industry. Launched in October 2007 - the 50th anniversary of Sputnik - the Timeline is a learning tool for satellite professionals, students, the news media and the innovative companies that make up the industry. Click on the image above to tour the decades of the Satellite Era.		We Welcome Your Participation You can help to build the Satellite Timeline in two ways: Propose an Event. New events are added regularly to the Timeline based on suggestions from the industry. To propose an event, click on the link below and complete the online form. You will receive an email confirmation. Submit Event Proposal   Sponsor the Timeline. SSPI offers companies the opportunity to associate their brand with SSPI's celebration of satellite history. Companies may sponsor a single event, an entire decade or the complete Timeline, and propose events related to their sponsorship. Click on the link below for the sponsorship prospectus. Sponsorship Prospectus		Review Committee All events for the Satellite Timeline are reviewed for accuracy and relevance by the SSPI Awards Committee, chaired by Dr. Joseph Pelton, Director, Space Advanced Communications Research Institute at George Washington University. To be included in the Timeline, events must have enabled the peaceful commercial and scientific use of LEO, MEO or GEO orbit and have contributed in meanigful ways to the development of satellite technologies, services and markets.