Longovilo

Longovilo
Hamlet and Locality
Longovilo
Location in Chile
Coordinates (locality): 33°56′17″S 71°21′41″W / 33.93806°S 71.36139°W / -33.93806; -71.36139
CountryChile
RegionSantiago Metropolitan Region
ProvinceMelipilla Province
CommuneSan Pedro
Time zoneUTC−4 (CLT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−3 (CLST)
Country/area code56 + 2

Longovilo is a small hamlet and locality in the Chilean commune of San Pedro de Melipilla (Melipilla Province), in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile.

Satellite Communications Ground Station

In 1968, the telecommunications company Entel built the first satellite telecommunication ground station in Latin America in Longovilo. The station was officially inaugurated on 9 August 1968 in a ceremony presided over by President Eduardo Frei Montalva, marking a major milestone in the history of telecommunications in Chile.[1]

The facility also gained significant public notoriety in 1969, when it enabled the live broadcast of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, making Chile the first country in Latin America to receive the transmission.[2] On July 20 of that year, a Sunday, President Frei decreed a national holiday until noon on Monday so that as many Chileans as possible could watch the event live without interruption.[3]

References

  1. ^ González, Marcelo (20 July 2024). "Conozca por qué Chile fue el único país latinoamericano que vio en vivo y en directo por TV el primer alunizaje hace 55 años". Publimetro Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  2. ^ Christiansen, Axel. "De Longovilo al Espacio - Historia de un alunizaje a la chilena". especiales.latercera.com (in Spanish). La Tercera. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Objeto del mes: Visitas de astronautas a Chile - Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva". www.casamuseoeduardofrei.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2025.

Media related to Longovilo at Wikimedia Commons