Canada's satellite system

The history of Canadian telecommunications satellite activities is traced. Most projects have been under the guidance of the government agency Telesat, which provides an interface to commercial operations. Canadian telecommunications satellites to-date have included Alouette 1 and 2 (1962, 1965), Isis 1 and 2 (1969, 1971), and Anik A1, A2 and A3 (1972, 1973, 1975) spacecraft. Domestic satellite telecommunications were initiated with the Anik series spacecraft. The Hermes spacecraft provided a platform for 14/12 GHz experiments and was followed by Anik B, with much the same capabilities. Canadian television broadcasts are now mainly handled by the Anik C series. The Anik D series is a testbed for voice/data communications. In order to democratize the system, Telesat permits access by any entity capable of operating uplink facilities.