This book is about communications satellites: the traffic, multiple-access techniques, link budgets, the spacecraft bus, and the geostationary orbit used. A communications satellite system starts with the traffic to be handled (Chapter 2), the way this traffic flows through the system (Chapters 3 and 4), the spacecraft that supports the traffic (Chapter 5) and the orbital environment in which it is placed (Chapter 6). Knowledgeable individuals will find many items not available in other books.
This book will appeal to advanced students, technicians, engineers, professors, planners, regulators, and other professionals. It was written for both newcomers just starting work in communications satellites and for experts in one area that want to know more in another related area. System planners will find the reasons, limitations, and trade-offs needed in using communications satellites. Earth station operator can learn the reasons the satellites move as they do, and the astronomical limitations they face. Students will find this handbook a useful companion to a textbook. All can benefit from a better understanding of the subsystems on the spacecraft, and how it operates.
