Mobile Satellite Communications Handbook, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4MARISAT and MARECS: Pioneering Commercial Mobile Satellite Services

As described in Chapter 2, by the early 1970s, the stage had been set for the introduction of nonmilitary mobile satellite communications services. The technology had been developed by the US military and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the point of reliability. It had been legitimized and, in a sense, authorized by the 1971 International Telecommunications Union (ITU) allocation of specific radio frequencies at around 1.5 GHz for maritime mobile satellite services. The maritime shipping market—at least at its high end—had been alerted to the benefits of satellite communications compared to high frequency radio and had responded favorably. In this context, the pioneering MARISAT and Maritime European Communications Satellites (MARECS) satellite systems evolved.

As part of its larger effort to define its mission and commercially exploit its leading position in satellite communications technology, the management of Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT) had explored a wide range of non-International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT) satellite ventures virtually since the company began operation in 1963. These included, among others, domestic satellite communications, aeronautical satellite communications, military satellite communications, and maritime satellite communications. COMSAT's Domestic and Aeronautical System Project Office (DASPO) is generally ...