The Spaceway system was originally envisioned as a global Ka-band communications system by Hughes Electronics.[1][2] When the project to build the system was taken over by Hughes Network Systems,[3] a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics, it was transformed into a phased deployment initially only launching a North American satellite system. This is in comparison to other more ambitious systems such as Teledesic[4] and Astrolink[5] which retained their full global nature and which subsequently failed to complete their systems. Hughes Network Systems working with Hughes Electronics subsidiary Hughes Space and Communications (and subsequently sold to Boeing and called Boeing Satellite Systems and later the Boeing Satellite Development Center)[6] completed and built the North American Spaceway system meant to provide broadband capabilities of up to 512 kbit/s, 2 Mbit/s, and 16 Mbit/s uplink data communication rates[7] with fixed Ka-band satellite terminal antennas sized as small as 74 centimetres (29 in).[7] The broadband Spaceway system was standardized by Telecommunications Industry Association[8] and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as the Regenerative Satellite Mesh - A Air Interface.[9]

After News Corp purchased a controlling interest in Hughes Electronics, the company sold off its controlling interest in Hughes Network Systems but retained Spaceway-1 and Spaceway-2 for use in the DirecTV satellite television subsidiary of Hughes Electronics.[10] Boeing retrofitted the first two satellites for bent pipe Ka-band communications for use in high-definition television and disabled the regenerative on-board processing of the original system that was to be used for broadband satellite communications.[11]

Despite statements to the contrary in the system's initial filings with the Federal Communications Commission, none of the three satellites have inter-satellite links connecting the satellites directly with each other in space.[6]

Spaceway-1, Spaceway-2 and Spaceway-3 have been launched and Hughes Network Systems had an option to purchase and have Boeing build Spaceway-4.[11]

Spaceway-1 was decommissioned in February 2020 after suffering extensive thermal damage to its batteries in December 2019, forcing the satellite to be moved to a graveyard orbit to prevent the risk of it exploding.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Fitzpatrick, E.J. (August 1995). Spaceway: Providing affordable and versatile communication solutions. 19th NASA Propagation Experimenters Meeting (NAPEX 19) and the 7th Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Propagation Studies Workshop (APSW 7). Bibcode:1995prex.meet...49F.
  2. ^ Metcalfe, Bob (28 October 1996). "Hughes satellite gives telcos, TV companies needed 'net competition". Archived from the original on 20 December 2004. Retrieved 14 June 2006.
  3. ^ "Response to Call Proposal of Hughes Communications Galaxy, Inc. to Launch and Operate the SPACEWAY™ GSO FSS Satellite System at 107.3º West Longitude orbital position" (PDF). Hughes Communications Galaxy, Inc. 5 November 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2006.
  4. ^ Wolfenbarger, Todd (30 September 2002). "Teledesic Suspends Work Under Satellite Contract" (Press release). Bellevue, Washington: Teledesic LLC. Archived from the original on 2 October 2002.
  5. ^ a b "Integrated Defense Systems - SPACEWAY North America". Boeing. Archived from the original on 19 June 2006.
  6. ^ a b Whitefield, David; Gopal, Rajeev; Arnold, Steven (October 2006). Spaceway now and in the Future: On-Board IP Packet Switching Satellte Communication Network (PDF). MILCOM 2006 - 2006 IEEE Military Communications conference. Germantown, MD: Hughes Network Systems, LLC. p. 2. doi:10.1109/MILCOM.2006.302229. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. ^ "TIA 2004 Standards & Technology Annual Report (STAR)" (PDF). Telecommunications Industry Association. 8 October 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Satellite Earth Stations and Systems (SES); Regenerative Satellite Mesh - A (RSM-A) air interface; Physical layer specification; Part 1: General description" (PDF). ETSI. European Telecommunications Standards Institute. 2004. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2013.
  9. ^ Pearlstein, Steven (8 December 2004). "... And Another Thing". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  10. ^ a b "Amendment No. 4 to Form S-1". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 10 February 2006. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  11. ^ Henry, Caleb (14 February 2020). "DirecTV's defunct Spaceway-1 reaches high graveyard orbit in one piece". SpaceNews. Retrieved 19 February 2020.

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