SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY Systems and Applications November 1999 Release 3 The primary mission of SAI is to develop and promote the use of space derived data and geo-spatial data from other sources in the service of EU policies, especially those relating to agriculture, fisheries, transport and anti-fraud. SAI also seeks to make the best use of information from space systems, to maximise the return from European investments in space and to help the Union reinforce its role in international action on the environment and sustainable development. SOv 5pace Applications Institute SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS SURVEY Authors Francesco Pignatelli Strategy and Systems for Space Applications SAI, JRC, Ispra Reviewed by Marco Lisi Alenia Aerospazio - Space Division EUROPEAN COMMISSION JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE EUR 19006EN LEGAL NOTICE Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet. It can of accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int). © European Communities, 2000 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Ifaly PREFACE Only ten years ago the future of satellite communications systems for applications other than TV broadcasting was considered very uncertain.