The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite for a Differential Global Positioning System

Abstract

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) is an experimental telecommunications satellite which is being built for NASA and is scheduled to be launched in July 1993. The satellite will act as a test bed for high gain hopping spot beams, on-board processing, and Ka-band technologies. The incorporation of these technologies provides it with many different capabilities, including the ability to transmit digital data with a data latency of less than one second at rates up to hundreds of megabits per second. NASA has developed a user-based experiments program to demonstrate the capabilities of the satellite. Experimenters have the opportunity to evaluate the potential of ACTS technologies to meet their communications needs. The U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center (TEC) will be using the ACTS for transmitting Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) data to test for its use with meter and decimeter level applications in real time. The ACTS satellite communications has the capacity to transmit additional data, such as digital mapping data, with DGPS data in real time. Experimental telecommunications satellite, High gain spot beams, On-board processing, Ka-band, DGPS.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 22, 1993
Accession Number
ADA277592

Entities

People

  • Andrew S. Austin
  • Mark Plecity
  • Roger P. Dendy
  • Sally L. Frodge

Organizations

  • Army Geospatial Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Communication Systems
  • Data Rate
  • Engineering
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Division Multiple Access
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Ka Band
  • Multiple Access
  • Networks
  • Radio Frequency
  • Satellite Communications
  • Satellite Networks
  • Spot Beams
  • Telemetry
  • Time Division Multiple Access
  • Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites