Satelite Business Systems

In the 1960s, communications satellites emerged as a new, effective means to transmit telephone and television signals over great geographical distances. This capability became one of the signature accomplishments of the space age, highlighting the practical, everyday benefits of spaceflight. Through the 1970s and 1980s use of these satellites rapidly increased, serving the needs of individual nations and international communications.

As prominent symbols of technical advance, communications satellites often were celebrated in poster art. The works frequently used a similar formula, combining cultural symbols, images of the satellite, and an overhead view of the Earth to reinforce pictorially the importance of space technologies in national or international life.

This poster is of Satellite Business Systems, a satellite developed by a U.S. business consortia of IBM, Aetna, and Comsat for corporate customers. Launched in 1980, the satellite was manufactured by Hughes Space and Communications Company, which commissioned the poster.

Donated by Liz Scoggins to the Museum in 2012.