Satellite television broadcasting systems in the USSR

The various systems making up Soviet television broadcasting are described. The Orbita system provides serivce to large cities and populated areas with at least 50,000 residents in Siberia, the far north, far east, and central Asia. The Ekran system uses less expensive equipment than the Orbita and serves localities numbering a few thousand residents. The Moskva system serves the Moscow area, which takes up three times zones. The Intersputnik system serves participating socialist countries via a system of two satellites and 12 earth stations. The Mars mobile station transmits television reports from the scene of the event.