Around 1981 NASA will phase out that part of its Earth station network that will have up to then served near Earth orbiting spacecraft. It will be replaced by the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). NASA offers partial use of the system to nonAmerican users. The consequences of this change over for European beneficiaries of American space facilities are analyzed. Two conceivable alternatives, i.e. two versions of a European Data Relay Satellite, are presented. Their facilities were tailored to the demands of expected European near Earth space activities in the eighties. They are compared for cost and intangibles related to leasing a comparable capability from the TDRS-System. It is shown that this comparison strongly favors one of the proposed European concepts.


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    Title :

    Application of a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) to European Requirements


    Contributors:
    W. Gieraths (author) / H. M. Braun (author)

    Publication date :

    1978


    Size :

    48 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English