PRESS RELEASE 94-60

Immediate 
Mary Ann Peto
<h3>NASA Lewis Research Center Celebrates One Year Plus for Advanced 
Communications Satellite (ACTS) </h3> Cleveland, OH -- Since the 
Lewis managed Advanced Communications Technology Satellite was 
launched on September 12, 1993, users have logged over 10,000 hours 
of communications time performing field trials that demonstrate key 
technologies of great importance to the future of satellite 
communications.

Over the past year, more than 50 organizations have used ACTS 
technologies such as the high-powered antenna spot beams that enable 
communications with small, low-cost earth stations to perform their 
field trails. The wide-band 30/20 GHz (Ka-Band) on-board transponders 
have opened up a new portion of the radio frequency spectrum and 
allow high data rate transmission in a single transponder. The 
on-demand capabilities, which allow users to obtain and pay for 
bandwidth only when needed, is an added benefit to the users. 

Because of its versatility and mobility, ACTS has been used by the 
military during field maneuver exercises and most recently was used 
in Haiti to conduct secure video teleconferences to remote sites. 
Using a combination of terrestrial and ACTS link-up, President 
Clinton was able to address the U.S. commanders, troops and the U.S. 
Ambassador to Haiti in an interactive video conference in early 
October. 

"ACTS can provide the equivalent of fiber optics in a bandwidth and 
data throughput communications satellites," explained Ron Schertler, 
chief, ACTS Experiments Office. "We have demonstrated its 
capabilities to commercial, medical, education and government 
entities and see user demand for time on ACTS growing." 

According to Dr. Burt Edelson, director, Institute for Advanced Space 
Research, George Washington University, "In its first year ACTS has 
demonstrated the on-orbit performance of several key technologies of 
great importance to the future of satellite communications. The most 
significant of these technologies are the microwave switch matrix, 
multi-beam antenna, on-board processing and Ka-band transmission. 
These technologies have all worked well and several are being 
incorporated into future operational satellite designs." ACTS is 
providing the technological building blocks for future commercial 
communications satellites that will help accelerate the development 
of the National and Global Information Superhighway.



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