Patent ID: 6511020
Filing Date: 2003-01-28
Classification: B64G,H04B

Abstract:
A communication satellite particularly adapted for use in a MEO satellite constellation and system for full service, global communication or communication (voice) and data signals, comprising:(a) a platform; (b) at least two transceivers on the platform for receiving and transmitting of the signals, each transceiver including Integrated Digital Service (IDS) and Backhaul Data Service (BDS) for transmission, each transceiver also having a feeder link antenna and a tracking control system adapted for pointing and tracking the feeder link antenna at a selected gateway on the Earth, wherein seamless handoff between gateways occurs because each feeder link antenna has its own, dedicated tracking control system to allow each antenna to point at a different, selected gateway, wherein the IDS includes an antenna that generates a pattern of spot beams to communicate with a plurality of user terminals with each spot beam having a three-cell frequency reuse pattern and dual polarization to provide a spectrum reuse factor in excess of 24, and wherein the BDS has a plurality of paired, steerable transmit and receive beams with forward links employing time division multiplexed (TDM) channels, each channel carrying a 24.4 Mb/s information-stream, and with return links employing a bent-pipe transponder to provide high speed transfer up to 120 Mb/s.