The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicConceived as an experimental project, Marecs evolved to provide Europe with a major breakthrough in mobile telecommunications expertise. Several ESA Member States undertook in 1973 to fund a satellite programme that would demonstrate communications between ships and land stations linking into the public networks, at a time when vessels could call only on unpredictable short-wave radio.
In fact, Marecs (so named because it adapted ESA’s ECS design for a maritime application) became the agency’s first venture into the commercial satellite business. The two successfully-launched satellites were leased initially for 10 satellite-years to Inmarsat (International Maritime Satellite Organisation), which formally inaugurated its service on 1 February 1982. Marecs was designed to provide high-quality realtime voice, data and telex services for maritime users.
Marecs-A, the principal subject of this documentary, was launched during the night of 19/20 December 1981 from the Guiana Space Centre aboard Ariane 1 flight 04. It remained in Inmarsat service until 1991. The satellite was then used by ESA for experimental purposes until it was finally deactivated in August 1996.