Results from ACTS Development and On-Orbit Operations

Abstract

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) was sponsored by NASA to develop the technology for 30/20 Ghz, spot beam communications satellites with on-board baseband and microwave matrix switching. The spot beams allow the use of very small aperture, low cost terminals as well as provide a large degree of frequency reuse. These technologies also significantly reduce the on-orbit weight per unit communication capacity. The ACTS system provides, for the most part, on-demand, integrated digital satellite /terrestrial networks with service data rates from 64 Kbps to 622 Mbps. This paper discusses the results obtained from the ACTS development and its first two years of on-orbit operations for fixed and mobile services.