Orbital locations of the new domestic satellites

The construction, launch and operation of a new series of communication domestic satellites was approved by the FCC on December 4, 1980, and the plans to accommodate additional in-orbit capacity in the orbital arc are presented. The new satellites are listed, and their orbital location assignments are given. The satellites will all have been launched by 1985 to phase out those currently in use, and the space segment will occupy 15 orbit locations at 4/6 GHz and eight orbital locations at 12/14 GHz. These locations were assigned only to those satellites which demonstrated a near term need. Based on present orbital spacing criteria, they take into account future international needs. The current 4 degree and 3 degree orbital spacing in the 4/6 GHz bands and 12/14 GHz bands, respectively, will need to be reduced by 1 degree in the 4/6 GHz band, for example, to allow more satellites to orbit. The accommodation of hybrid satellites is among other topics