Infrastructure
Communications Satellites
2008 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities
GEO satellites provide coverage of a wide area from a relatively fixed position, making them ideal for broadcast applications to multiple downlink sites, as well as for networking services to…
2008 – Communications Satellites Overview
According to a satellite database compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists, there are 548 active communications satellites: 326 in geostationary orbit (GEO), 206 in low Earth orbit (LEO), and…
2009 – MSS Satellite Design Activities
MSS provider Globalstar is developing its second-generation constellation to replace existing satellites that have had technical problems since early 2007. The problems have severely degraded its two-way voice and data…
2009 – Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) Space Activities
Mobile satellite services (MSS) providers connect phones and other handheld devices directly to satellites to provide near-constant coverage, even in African villages, Antarctic bases, offshore oil rigs, and other remote…
2009 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Satellite Design Activities
Providers of FSS have enjoyed considerable success in recent years due in large part to the international growth of applications such as high-definition (HD) television. From the beginning of 2007…
2009 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities
GEO satellites provide a wide fixed coverage area, making them ideal for reaching a community of stationary antennas that do not need to track a moving object in space. The…
2009 – Communications Satellites Overview
The concept of the communications satellite actually predates the Space Age. In 1945, science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke proposed the concept of “extraterrestrial relays” in GEO in an article…
2010 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Satellite Design Activities
Fixed satellite telecommunications are a reliable, proven technology, but not completely free of risk. Satellites must be designed to survive challenges from the hostile environment of space, such as solar…
2010 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities
The dominant providers of international fixed satellite services (FSS) are Intelsat, SES, Eutelsat, and Telesat. These four companies collectively own nearly half of all GEO commercial communications satellites (## satellites,…
2010 – MSS Satellite Design Activities
The global MSS market is dominated by two players: the UK’s Inmarsat and U.S.-based Iridium. They accounted for 55% and 25% of the market, respectively.[efn_note]Wei Li. “Beam... Growth On The…