Harold Rosen, Who Ushered in the Era of Communication Satellites

Whether you are reading these words online or in print, there is a strong chance that Harold A. Rosen played a part in getting them to you. He was a driving force in the invention of modern communication satellite technology.

His inspiration came in 1957, when, as a young engineer, he watched the Sputnik satellite, the first ever launched, streak across the night sky in Los Angeles on its historic journey. From its orbit, the Soviet Sputnik could transmit only beeps back to Earth. But Rosen could see that the future of relaying information over long distances was in space, and he began imagining the possibilities. In those days, telephones were the best way to communicate between two points, but the terrestrial telephone system was reaching its operational limits. Long-distance phone calls were made by means of overtaxed cables and radio towers, and connectivity was limited. Some parts of the world were unreachable. Rosen set out to design a satellite that would usher in a new era of telecommunications.