Telstar, the Cold War, and the Origins of Global Communications
Keyword(s):
Cold War
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Beginning with the launch of Sputnik, the Cold War superpowers engaged in a race not only to control or militarize space, but also to influence world opinion with space-related feats. AT&T exploited American fears that the United States was losing this competition by publicizing its Telstar satellite as a privately designed product, ostensibly proving the superiority of a free enterprise system. AT&T argued that it should be allowed to manage a global communications network, but the American government eventually disagreed with the company’s monopolistic ambitions.