Communications Satellite Systems:  A Look Back at the First 50 Years and Thoughts on the Next 50

From the time of Sputnik I’s initial Earth observations of upper atmosphere density or Van Allen’s discovery of the magnetic radiation belts surrounding Earth via Explorer I to the present, the satellite community throughout the world has made significant advancements in highly sophisticated Earth sensing measurements, digital broadcast satellites, emerging constellations to provide global telecommunication services, expansion of the Internet into space, and enabled the world’s space agencies to contemplate human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit.

The combined 34th AIAA International Communications Satellite Systems Conference and 22nd Ka and Broadband Communications Conference to be held in Cleveland Ohio is the ideal venue to celebrate these early satellite systems accomplishments and discuss the challenges and discoveries required for the next 50 years. Come join this rich history and be a part of the future promise of extraordinary technological and human feats enabled by these satellite capabilities.

This year’s combined conference will emphasize the satellite architectures, payloads, technologies, and systems required for the next 50 years of satellite and communications systems advancements.

The combined Conference is soliciting papers in all areas of activity covering the following satellite system topics:

• Advanced satellite systems, payloads, services, and technologies, and applications
  • Broadcast satellites
  • Data relay/backbone satellites
  • Search and rescue satellites
  • L/S/K-band GEO/MEO/LEO mobile satellites
  • Remote sensing high speed downlinks
  • High capacity/high throughput broadband satellite
  • Dual-use satellite systems
  • Multi-beam, relay satellite antennas
  • Large “mega” constellations; commercial or cubesat
• Planetary and interplanetary Optical communications
• Near Earth and deep space relay architectures
• Payload and ground technologies for Ka/Q/V/W-band
• Flexible satellite resource allocation architectures, design tools and technologies
• High speed onboard processing and digital payload architecture and technologies
• Communications protocols and networks
• Satellite-aided localization systems, technologies and applications
• On-board navigation receivers for LEO/MEO and GEO
• Earth terminal and station architecture advancements
• Propagation and fade modelling and mitigation
• Integration and interoperability of systems
• Autonomy and adaptive/cognitive system technologies
• Security applications and architectures