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

The 2016 Colloquium on Commercial Broadband Technologies and their Application to Next Generation Space Exploration Networks will be held prior to the Joint Conference on Monday, October 17, 2016

The Colloquium is organized by the Co-Chairs:
Phil Liebrecht, NASA Headquarters/Space Communications and Navigation, USA and
James Hinds, Airbus Defence & Space, United Kingdom

Reliable Communications Systems have been essential to the operation of both manned and unmanned space exploration missions. In Low Earth orbit the NASA Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) has provided critical infrastructure in support of both Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) missions and Deep Space networks have enabled interplanetary missions. In the future, with greater emphasis on International Co-operation and with manned missions seeking to go further than the near earth environment, there will be an unprecedented demand for Broadband Space Communications networks.

To date, government built and operated networks have been the backbone of space communications, but in the future space exploration networks will benefit from commercial technology development and from an increasing commercial interest in space. Even now, the ISS has emerged as an extension of the Internet, giving the public unprecedented access to Astronauts on television and social media. With the emergence of space tourism the space network will more and more become an extension of the terrestrial network.

This Colloquium will bring together users of the future space networks to discuss their evolving needs and developers of commercial technologies and services to present potential innovative contributions to future space exploration networking. Subjects such as the extension of IP networking to space, data relay in both the optical and RF spectrum and the potential impact of technologies developed for commercial mega constellations, flexible payloads and High Throughput Geosynchronous satellites on both the technology and operations of communications for space exploration, will be addressed by a panel with wide ranging interest and expertise.

PLEASE REGISTER for the Colloquium by clicking the REGISTRATION button on this page.
If you are already registered to the Conference website, PLEASE REGISTER for the Colloquium by clicking the LOGIN button and then by entering the registration credentials received by the system.

It is possible to attend the Colloquium without attending  the Joint Conference. A separate registration fee is charged to attend the Joint Conference.
Registration before September1, 2016 is highly recommended to take advantage of the reduced registration fee.