A short history of ESA's Orbital Test Satellite (OTS). Launched in 1978, OTS was Europe's first multinational telecommunications satellite. At the time of this film's production, OTS had been in orbit for 10 years. Subsequent telecommunications systems are outlined.

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00:02:24:00 ESA opening sequence
00:02:45:00 title sequence: OTS - Ten Years After
00:02:59:00 mcs interview: John MacLaughlan, Station Director, Redu, Belgium
00:03:20:00 animation Earth with communication satellites
00:03:36:00 heli gvs' large ground stations
00:03:56:00 gvs' satellite construction
00:04:06:00 cs castle, zo to incl mls small ground station to r
00:04:18:00 gvs' ESRO board meetings
00:04:25:00 ms Orbital Test Satellite [OTS]
00:04:31:00 ms pan r opening of solar array in cleanroom
00:04:43:00 ms zo solar array opens to cam
00:04:47:00 gvs' OTS construction [including rotation, vibration testing]
00:05:08:00 var news clippings OTS failure, 1977 footage of failure
00:05:25:00 ms pan up Thor Delta launch of OTS
00:05:41:00 animations OTS, communications systems
00:05:56:00 gvs' ground station construction [including dishes, Telespazzio sign, helicopters, workers]
00:06:37:00 var stills ground stations
00:06:50:00 gvs'/stills telecommunications [satellite dishes, Eiffel T