« Global Satellite Communications | Home | Satellite Communications Network »
Military Satellite Communications
By Editor | February 6, 2008
The first important landmark in military satellite communications (also known as milsatcom) and especially U.S. military satellite communication was when the U.S. army achieved radar contact with the moon. The navy began experiments using the moon as a reflector in 1954 and it became successful in establishing a communication link between Hawaii and Washington D.C. in 1959.
The first artificial military satellite Project SCORE (Signal Communication by Orbiting Relay Equipment) was launched in 1958 to show that an Atlas missile could be put into orbit. The secondary objective was to show how a communications repeater built into the missile functioned. Repeaters receive signals, amplify them and then retransmit them. Its transmissions included Eisenhower’s Christmas message. The next satellite was called Courier. The satellite was of a higher capacity and longer life than SCORE but it lasted only 17 days after the second launch in 1960. The next more advanced satellite was the Advent satellite in 1960 but it was cancelled in 1962.
Project West ford was the next big technological development. It used a copper wire communications reflector. No other satellites like this were launched again in the history of U.S. military satellite communications. With the cancellation of the Advent programme in 1962, a recommendation was made for another programme that would be operational instead of being experimental. The result was the Initial Defense Communication Satellite Program (IDCSP). The first IDCSP launch in military satellite communications was in 1966. Seven IDCSP satellites were launched in 1966 with additional groups of 3 to 8 satellites launched between 1967 and 1968. 28 satellites were launched into orbit, operating for periods of 1 to 10 years. The IDCSP satellites operated in orbits slightly below geostationary orbits.
In 1966, there was also an agreement between the United States of America and the United Kingdom on military satellite communications. It was the forerunner of the U.K. Skynet programme. In 1967, NATO used the IDCSP as part of the NATO I satellite system. Between 1967 and 1969, the Lincoln Experiment Satellites (LES) made by the Lincoln Laboratory were launched – the Lincoln 5 and 6. The Tactical Communication Satellite (Tacsat) was designed for operation with small land mobile, airborne, or shipborne tactical terminals. It was the forerunner of military satellite communications narrowband segment.
After these the major satellites were Defence Satellite Communication System (DSCS), the Department of Defence’s (DOD) communication satellites, Fleet satellite communications (FLTSATCOM), Air Force satellite communication (AFSATCOM), the Milstar system and SICRAL, a project of Italian military satellite communications.
The future of military satellite communication or milsatcom is seen in wideband communications like the wideband gapfiller satellites, the Global Broadcast Service (GBS), the advanced wideband system, advanced EHF, advanced polar systems and in narrowband communications, the advanced narrowband system.
In the armed forces, intelligence and spying is an important part. Fast communication is also of extreme importance. In such circumstances, communication satellites are important as they help in global coverage and also in unrestricted communication. Military intelligence and technology have also played a major part in the history of satellite communications.
Topics: Military Satellite Communications |