Eutelsat in full growth

Eutelsat was formed by 20 nations in 1977 to install, maintain, and use telecommunications satellites launched by ESA. The organization currently has one ECS satellite providing telecommunications and TV transmissions, with two more spacecraft scheduled for operation by mid-1985. TV broadcast ground stations are antennas with 5 x 2 m dimensions, with signals carried from there to user by cable. The signal is encoded to avoid offending governments which prohibit transmissions to their citizenry. TDMA techniques permit data and facsimile transmission as well as teleconferencing. A second group of Eutelsat spacecraft are intended for launch in autumn of 1986, and a second generation of spacecraft is planned for the early 1990s.