Is Satellite Communication Technology Matured or Not? --From R and D Point of View--
- Paper number
IAC-05-B3.1.01
- Author
Dr. Takashi Iida, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Year
2005
- Abstract
Satellite communications may be still only one technology that achieved the commerce successfully as a satellite application. In fact, revenue of satellite communications business still continues to increase. Therefore there is a viewpoint that satellite communications technology has already been matured. Many people focuse on satellite communications business rather than technical R and D (research and development). This paper will discuss whether the satellite communications technology is really matured and the paper will discuss the new technology for the future R and D. At first, it is discussed what technical maturation is. There are two aspects; one is user side view and another R and D side view. From the first point of view, technical maturation is good, because things of high efficiency, high reliability become available cheaply if technology matures, and the business opportunities using them increase. From the second point of view, providing enough high efficiency / high reliability means that R and D items have disappeared. In addition, high cost-effectiveness means only competition for low-price and how to make it cheaply, and such a competition pursues only a low labor wage after all. More importantly, the author worries about that the satellite technology might not already attract young researchers' interest. The author wonders if satellite communications technology is realy matured. In Japan, we have the special circumstances that a newly technical development plan of satellite communications is largely delayed due to failure of satellite launching. In fact, the development of millimeter wave band and light wave band has the history of a fight with jinx of failure, because all satellites (ECS, ETS-VI, COMETS) embarked a millimeter wave band mission were failed to be launched. In the light wave band, ETS-VI was failed injecting into the geostationary orbit. Optical experiment satellite OICETS is extremely behind the schedule for launching. Broadband satellite WINDS has been developing, but it takes too much time to launching. The advanced mobile communications technology satellite ETS-VIII also suffers from a very long time development. To attract young researchers' interest, a policy is necessary. The space development is one of the projects which must be pushed forward from not only technological but also national security point of view. This is why the right or wrong of the project becomes an index to show the technical level of a country. Space development leads new technology originally. The paper will discuss the R and D items for the future technology. The quantum communications technology is one of the candidates. The author suggested the Global Ring Satellite and GEO Platform for next 30 years (see Ref. 1). Furthermore satellite communications has another aspect for bridging digital divide, considering the Internet spread rate of developing countries is extremely still low. Satellite communications are most suitable to solve such a situation. More high-efficient satellite of large capacity is needed to satisfy a demand of future satellite communications system. Careful consideration is necessary to answer to the question: "Is the satellite communications technology matured?". The paper will conclude that satellite communications technology is not yet matured. Reference 1. T.Iida, Y.Suzuki, Y.Arimoto and A.Akaishi: "Global Ring Satellite Communications System For Future Broadband Network", 54th IAC, IAC-03-M.1.04, 2003.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-B3.1.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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