Commercial U.S. Satellites

The use of satellites to relay communications signals has become a full-fledged industry. Today, the radio spectrum available to satellites is becoming crowded and so is desirable orbit space. Because of the popularity of the geosynchronous orbit for communications satellites, orbital overcrowding h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE spectrum 1979-10, Vol.16 (10), p.30-37
Main Author: Bargellini, Pier L
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Communications satellites
Design
Digital transmission
Improvements
Manycompanies
Satellite communications
Technological change
Telephone service
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The use of satellites to relay communications signals has become a full-fledged industry. Today, the radio spectrum available to satellites is becoming crowded and so is desirable orbit space. Because of the popularity of the geosynchronous orbit for communications satellites, orbital overcrowding has become a potential problem. The problem is not so much that the satellites will collide, but it is one of electromagnetic interference. Predictions for trends in satellite communications technology over the next 5 years are: 1. Body-stabilized satellites will become more common. 2. Energy conservation and storage will become more efficient and sophisticated. 3. Higher frequency bands will greatly increase capacity. 4. Multibeam antennas and improved interconnectivity of antennas and transponders will allow flexibility in assigning capacity to different geographic areas. 5. Reusable manned launch vehicles should reduce launch costs and eventually make possible the repair of satellites in orbit. By combining various techniques such as digital multiplexing, modulation, multiple access, and source and channel coding, it is estimated that digital transmission can increase communications capacity by as much as 100%.
ISSN:0018-9235
1939-9340