NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) in Orbit

On September 12, 1993, a new and soon-to-be-award-winning on-ramp to the information superhighway was opened to heavy traffic as NASA launched one of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in space communications history, the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). ACTS, the first high-speed, all-digital communications satellite, was developed by NASA Glenn, a world leader in space communications research.