A rapid scan area-coverage communication satellite

We examine a satellite with a high gain, moveable spot beam to communicate with individual earth stations time sharing a single channel in the TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) mode. A TDMA burst organization is proposed, and estimates of burst lengths, beam switching intervals, and buffer storage size are made for a network operating on a 600 Mb/s channel. Antenna configurations forming rapidly scanned spot beams are discussed. A phased array with each element radiating the entire U.S. appears to provide an attractive solution. Such an antenna, capable of forming 100 spot beams with nearly 50 dB gain toward any point on the continental U.S. appears feasible.