The Satellite Communications Outlook

Digital transmission, bandwidth compression, signal regeneration on board communication satellites, and TDMA are some of the techniques being used to improve transmission efficiency. The replacement of large numbers of small single-function satellites by a few multiple-function ones is envisioned as a means of reducing transmission congestion and allowing even smaller earth stations. The Space Shuttle can launch extremely heavy and complex spacecraft into orbit and will play a major role in achieving this goal. Large geostationary platforms carrying a number of different payloads will provide economies of scale but also will present problems regarding the assembly of large structures in space, the interrelation of payloads and institutional concerns.