Marisat -A New Commercial Application Of Communications Satellite Technolgy

A new type of commercial satellite communications system called MARISAT is in its final stages of deployment for operational service beginning this year. This system will provide two different communications services by using two different types of communications repeaters on a single satellite. One service is dedicated to U.S. Navy requirements; the second service is the first commercial offering of maritime mobile satellite communications. Through this latter service the quality and reliability of commercial satellite communications will be extended to ships operating on the high seas. This will be the first step in the evolution of an international global maritime satellite communications system. This paper summarizes the composition and design of the MARISAT System and gives a progress report on the status of its development and deployment