TABLE OF CONTENTS From the very beginning, ACTS was intended to be an in-orbit test bed for validating both advanced Ka-band technologies and on-demand, integrated voice, video, and data services that would be needed for the twenty-first century. As such, the user program was an important element, and U.S. industry played a key role in working with NASA to formulate it. NASA recognized that the full potential of ACTS technology could only be realized if private industry assumed an active role in the conduct of technology validation and application trials. The development and flight validation of both the advanced technologies and new, cost-effective services has allowed private industry to adapt these technologies and services into their individual commercial systems at minimal risk. As it turned out, ACTS development was very timely. The large market increase for integrated services requires that satellite systems provide digital communication on an on-demand basis that are fully compatible with terrestrial networks.
The user program had its beginnings back in 1979, when the ACTS program was formulated [65]. NASA, in planning its future satellite communication program, formed a carrier working group (CWG) from various industry organizations that provided commercial terrestrial and satellite services (see Chapter 1, Program Formulation ). The CWG was charged with helping NASA formulate the technology, flight system, and user-trial requirements, and providing overall guidance and advice. One of the key activities of the CWG was to identify various types of experiments and user trials needed to characterize and validate the new spacecraft and ground technology...
