U. S. Domestic Communication Satellite Systems

Abstract

Domestic communication satellite (domsat) systems in the United States have a history of 14 years. Currently, several systems are in operation and another will be in early 1981. In recent years, many papers have been published, each describing certain details of a specific system. In contrast, this paper presents an overview and comparison of all the systems. As a background to this survey, the U. S. domsat history is briefly reviewed. The system overview then begins with a look at the satellites. Their basic designs are compared pictorially and through tabular data. Communication subsystems are also compared. The survey then goes on to the terminals, the terrestrial parts of the systems. Representative terminal characteristics are discussed. Finally, the various communication services offered by these systems are described.