INTELSAT VI Spacecraft Concepts

Abstract

The growth of international telecommunication traffic during the next decade leads to the requirement for large capacity satellites. Some of the communications requirements to be met by the INTELSAT VI satellite are: a capacity of 75,000 channels, full connectivity of the earth station network, and antenna coverage reconfigurability by ocean region. To achieve these goals, new communications techniques and technologies need to be used, such as: multiple beam antennae and satellite switched time division multiple access (SS/TDMA). Improvements in the spacecraft design and advanced spacecraft technologies are necessary not only to meet the communications performance requirements, but also to satisfy the requirement of compatibility with launch by either ARIANE IV or the Space Transportation System.