Galaxy 1 was the first in a line of communications satellites launched by Hughes Communications in 1983. It was the first satellite exclusively devoted to cable television, and carried many such services as HBO, Cinemax, The Movie Channel, Showtime, The Disney Channel, TBS, CNN, among some.
In 1992, Galaxy 1 was replaced by Galaxy 5 as the predominant cable television service, when a majority of satellite TV services relocated onto that satellite.
It was originally slated for retirement in 1992 and replacement by Galaxy 1R, but the replacement was lost during launch and it would not be replaced until 1994, when it was replaced by Galaxy 1RR.
The Home Box Office signal on transponder 23 of Galaxy 1 was interrupted during the infamous Captain Midnight attack on April 27, 1986. The attack was directed towards HBO for their adoption of the Videocipher system and for charging high prices for access to the HBO and Cinemax services with that system.