The Current Status of Russian/CIS Communication Satellites
Abstract
As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Mikhail Gorbackev during a July 1991 summit meeting, the U.S. agreed to expand civil space cooperation with the Russian Federation and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The goal of the MOU was to increase the technical capabilities of both sides to respond to both natural and man-made disasters anmd top benefit from the capabilities and involvement of international and non-government organisations. This summit agreement has allowed the Russian Federation to offer unprecedented commercial and emergency relief access to their on-orbit communications satellites. This thesis presents a brief history of the Soviet/Russian communication satellite program, and an examination of current systems as well as future and on-order systems. Simulations were conducted to determine the useability of the major systems (Gorizont, Ekran, Molniya, and Raduga) from 17 geographic locations. This is concluded with an introduction to the Telemedicine Space-bridge Project that is a direct result of the Bush-Gorbachev summit, and a shining example of Russian/U.S. cooperation in the satellite communication arena.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA285526
Entities
People
- Larry E. Ninas
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School