Progressive Communication Satellite Systems Design

This paper describes the progressive design, on a phased basis, of a typical communication satellite system capable of meeting a variety of military and civilian applications, The system philosophy stresses reliability and flexibility of operation, with provision for both point-to-point and area coverage, to serve both fixed and mobile ground terminals, and to operate in either a military or nonmilitary environment. Considerations leading to choice of basic system parameters are presented. Major subsystems comprising the satellite payload are described and illustrated. The achievement of maximum reliability and long life is recognized as having the highest priority in satellite design and recommended approaches to the problem are indicated. The equipment required at a communication ground station is described as a function of the quantity and type of communications provided and the desired degree of mobility. Some typical configurations are described. Finally, some conclusions are presented regarding the merits of this type of system and its relation to the over-all space program and global communication requirements.