In 1962, Telstar 1, the world’s first geosynchronous active communications satellite, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Pioneered by AT&T, to relay TV and telephone signals between the U.S. and Europe, Telstar 1 initiated easier, faster access to information and carried the first live transatlantic TV satellite broadcast. French and English viewers saw a press conference by President Kennedy, and U.S. audiences watched French singer Yves Montand and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The Telstar 1 transmitter failed on 21 Feb 1963, and was replaced by Telstar 2 on 7 May 1963. (A passive U.S. telecommunications satellite, Echo 1, was launched 12 Aug 1960.)«