NATO began investigating the potential for cooperation with the United States to develop a satellite communications programme in 1966. The SATCOM project was born the following year when NATO began using two ground terminals to communicate with a US satellite. Seven countries initially signed the Memorandum of Understanding to sponsor the programme: Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and the US. Ground terminals were to be installed in these countries, as well as Denmark, Greece, Norway, Portugal and Turkey.