Patent ID: 7437123

Claim:
A space-based network for a satellite radiotelephone system comprising: at least one receive-only satellite that is configured to receive uplink wireless communications directly from a radiotelephone over a return service link, but not to transmit downlink wireless communications directly to the radiotelephone over a forward service link, and not to transmit or receive wireless communications to/from another satellite over a satellite crosslink; and at least one transmit and receive satellite that is configured to transmit downlink wireless communications directly to the radiotelephone over a forward service link and to receive the uplink wireless communications directly from the radiotelephone over a return service link and not to transmit or receive wireless communications to/from another satellite over a satellite crosslink, such that the at least one receive-only satellite increases a link margin of the uplink wireless communications from the radiotelephone over that which is provided by the at least one transmit and receive satellite by increasing an effective return link antenna aperture of the received uplink wireless communications, but does not impact a link margin of the downlink wireless communications to the radiotelephone over that which is provided by the at least one transmit and receive satellite.