Early Bird, the world's first commercial communications satellite, was built for the Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT) by the Space and Communications Group of Hughes Aircraft Company, now Boeing Satellite Systems. The satellite was launched into synchronous orbit on April 6, 1965. Early Bird's design stemmed from the Syncom satellites Hughes had built to demonstrate the feasibility of communications from synchronous orbit. On station in orbit 22,300 miles above the equator, Early Bird provided line of sight communications between Europe and North America. As a communications repeater, Early Bird handled communications that were representative of all types of common carrier network traffic, including telephone, television, telegraph, and facsimile transmissions. As the forerunner of a synchronous satellite system that would furnish communications to all the populated areas of the world, Early Bird, with capability of 240 circuits or one TV channel, successfully demonstrated the concept of synchronous satellites for commercial communications.