March 2015
On-orbit satellite servicing, insurance and lessons of Palapa B2 and Westar 6
... Barrett was overjoyed when the 14th Space Shuttle flight retrieved Palapa B2 and Westar 6, two failed communication satellites whose identical anomalies had left them stranded in useless orbits far below their intended geosynchronous target...
March 2015
Ka-band satellite communication and lowering the price of VSATs
... since 6 April 1965 and the launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite. In that time three technological revolutions in satellite communication have occurred right before my eyes. All three were connected with mastering new...
March 2015
ARTES and the world of satcoms
... the mainstay of the space industry: more than half of the space business involves building and launching communication satellites. Satcoms services and applications are the largest space sector and are a major driver of space technology...
August 2017
On-orbit assembly will deliver major benefits in coming decade
... further compounded by the need for inclusion of redundant systems to provide contingency against damage during launch. Communication satellites have similar constraints that limit flexibility and operations, and Figure 1 illustrates how these affect...
September 2019
Extending the life of geostationary orbit satellites
... servicing, the rise of spacecraft such as MRV and MARV will compel satellite manufacturers to include robotic servicing ports on the next generation of communications satellites. Like USB ports on computers, these universal ports will allow for both...
April 2020
Satellite mega-constellations pose threat to ground-based astronomy
...situation may worsen drastically if several companies execute their plans to fill LEO with overwhelming quantities of communications satellites. If these plans are fulfilled, the current number of artificial objects purposely placed in orbit may more...
