April 9, 2003: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, General Motors and Hughes Electronics reached agreement on a deal through which News Corp. would acquire a 34% stake in Hughes (20% owned by GM) including DirecTV, Hughes Network Systems and an 81% ownership of PanAmSat. The acquisition was approved by the US Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice on December 19

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Visit the SSPI Satellite Industry Timeline to tour the decades of the Satellite Era

The SSPI Satellite Timeline is the first interactive site on the Web to chronicle the rich and diverse history of the commercial satellite industry. Launched in October 2007 – the 50th anniversary of Sputnik – the Timeline is a learning tool for satellite professionals, students, the news media and the innovative companies that make up the industry