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sensitive receivers, and additional antenna connectivity options. The DSCS communications payload includes six independent Super High
Frequency (SHF) transponder channels that cover a 500 MHz bandwidth. Three receive and five transmit antennas provide selectable options for Earth coverage, area coverage and/or spot beam coverage. A special purpose single-channel transponder is also on board.
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690:
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33:
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DSCS III satellites support globally distributed
Department of Defense (DoD) and national security users. The final 4 of 14 satellites received Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP) modifications. These changes provided substantial capacity improvements through higher power amplifiers, more
134:
In April 1960, the
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) initiated the Advent program, aiming to deliver a military communication satellite. However, the design concept surpassed the technological capabilities of the time, leading to the cancellation of the program in May 1962. The
178:
184:
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The first launch, comprising 7 satellites, took place in June 1966. The system was declared operational with the 1968 launch and renamed to
Initial Defense Satellite Communication System (IDSCS).
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satellite constellation that provides the United States with military communications to support globally distributed military users. Beginning in 2007, DSCS began being replaced by the
182:
983:
85:
DSCS went through three major phases — IDCSP (Interim
Defense Communication Satellite Program), DSCS-II, and DSCS-III. Since the first launch, DSCS has been the "workhorse" of
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placed into a sub-synchronous orbit that did not require station-keeping or active altitude control. The capacity was approximately 1 Mbit/s digital data.
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system. A total of 14 DSCS-III satellites were launched between the early 1980s and 2003. Two satellites were launched aboard the
1316:
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flight. As of 14 September 2021, six DSCS-III satellites were still operational. DSCS operations are currently run by the
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139:(IDCSP) was proposed as one of two recommended follow-up approaches to deliver a working satellite.
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The space vehicles were spin stabilized with a de-spun antenna platform. The body was mounted with
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A total of 34 IDSCS satellites were built, with 8 lost in a launch failure in August 1966.
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Philco (now Ford
Aerospace) was contracted for the work. The IDCSP delivered a simple,
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NASA's
National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) - Master Catalog - Spacecraft Query
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57:
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to begin DSCS III design studies, with the first Block 1 launch on 30 October 1982.
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210:. The program was managed by the Defense Communications Agency (DCA), now the
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92:. All DSCS III satellites have exceeded their 10-year design life. The
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Artist's rendering of a
Transtage deploying IDSCP satellites
96:
use the DSCS satellites to provide additional bandwidth to
922:
Fiscal year 1977 authorization for military procurement
198:
DSCS II, developed under
Program 777 provided secure
1355:
Designation believed to be this type but unconfirmed
229:
provided electrical power and it was supported by a
1232:
1166:
1130:
732:
248:and drive mechanism for communications privacy.
236:The communications payload included two 20-watt
137:Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program
130:Initial Defense Communications Satellite Program
739:. New York: Berkley Publishing Group. pp.
1103:
8:
1385:Military communications of the United States
1420:Military equipment introduced in the 1960s
1415:Equipment of the United States Space Force
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1056:Federation of American Scientists - DSCS 3
978:
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974:
972:
970:
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831:. El Segundo: Aerospace Corp. p. 285.
984:"Defense Satellite Communications System"
1405:Spacecraft launched by the Space Shuttle
1390:Military satellites of the United States
1017:"SpOC officially retires DSCS satellite"
822:
820:
327:Decommissioned/Launched with DSCS II-16
282:
244:were supported by steerable narrow beam
31:
27:Defense satellite communications project
1400:Spacecraft launched by Delta IV rockets
1380:Communications satellite constellations
1125:space vehicle designations (since 1962)
723:
673:
42:Defense Satellite Communications System
251:The first DSCS II launch was in 1971.
36:Illustration of the DSCS III satellite
7:
1410:Spacecraft launched by Titan rockets
1395:Spacecraft launched by Atlas rockets
1015:Gibson, Hillary (14 December 2022).
559:Decommissioned on 9 December 2022.
171:Illustration of a DSCS II satellite
945:from the original on 27 April 2017
829:Communication Satellites 1958-1988
805:from the original on 27 April 2017
775:from the original on 27 April 2017
212:Defense Information Systems Agency
25:
799:Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
98:Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station
688:
676:
176:
164:
1061:U.S. Air Force MILSATCOM - DSCS
992:. November 2015. Archived from
191:Overview of DSCS II, circa 1977
1051:Lockheed Martin's Page on DSCS
731:Burroughs, William E. (1986).
1:
795:"DSCS III use for Antarctica"
71:4th Space Operations Squadron
389:DSCS III-06 or DSCS III-A2
94:National Science Foundation
1436:
865:Martin, Donald H. (2000).
827:Martin, Donald H. (1986).
263:contracts were awarded to
208:United States Armed Forces
127:
75:Schriever Space Force Base
1345:
1027:United States Space Force
897:Encyclopedia Astronautica
846:. Jonathon's Space Report
650:2003-08-29, 23:13:00 UTC
624:2003-03-11, 00:59:00 UTC
598:2000-01-25, 01:03:00 UTC
144:spin-stabilized satellite
50:United States Space Force
1022:Space Operations Command
868:Communication Satellites
765:"DSCS III Constellation"
261:research and development
90:satellite communications
1076:25 October 2016 at the
989:United States Air Force
292:Launch date/time (UTC)
269:Hughes Aircraft Company
1352:Unofficial designation
375:Space Shuttle Atlantis
349:Space Shuttle Atlantis
233:propulsion subsystem.
125:
54:Wideband Global SATCOM
37:
572:1997-10-25, 00:46:00
546:1995-07-31, 23:30:00
521:1993-11-28, 23:40:00
495:1993-07-19, 22:04:00
469:1992-07-02, 21:54:00
443:1992-02-10, 00:41:00
418:1989-09-04, 05:54:00
392:1989-09-04, 05:54:00
366:1985-10-03, 15:15:30
340:1985-10-03, 15:15:30
314:1982-10-30, 04:05:00
259:On 12 December 1975,
221:, which produced 535
123:
35:
1071:Air Force - DSCS III
939:Air Force Fact Sheet
842:McDowell, Jonathan.
769:Air Force Fact Sheet
108:on the continent of
844:"Satellite Catalog"
279:DSCS III Spacecraft
65:in 1985 during the
289:Other Designation
126:
38:
1362:
1361:
996:on 7 January 2023
924:, pt. 6, p. 3769.
712:SpaceX Starshield
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204:data transmission
186:
16:(Redirected from
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1153:SLV-4 (Titan II)
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899:. Archived from
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296:NSSDCA/COSPAR ID
286:Spacecraft Name
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265:General Electric
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1078:Wayback Machine
1066:NASA JPL - DSCS
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903:on 26 June 2017
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508:Decommissioned
482:Decommissioned
456:Decommissioned
405:Decommissioned
379:Decommissioned
353:Decommissioned
303:Status/Remarks
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1045:External links
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128:Main article:
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670:Image gallery
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595:DSCS III-B11
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569:DSCS III-B13
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58:Space Shuttle
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1349:Not assigned
1259:
1254:
1143:SLV-2 (Thor)
1030:. Retrieved
1020:
1010:
998:. Retrieved
994:the original
987:
947:. Retrieved
938:
929:
917:
905:. Retrieved
901:the original
896:
887:
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848:. Retrieved
837:
828:
807:. Retrieved
798:
789:
777:. Retrieved
768:
759:
734:
726:
663:Operational
647:DSCS III-B6
637:Operational
621:DSCS III-A3
611:Operational
585:Operational
543:DSCS III-B7
518:DSCS III-11
492:DSCS III-10
466:DSCS III-09
440:DSCS III-08
415:DSCS III-07
363:DSCS III-B5
337:DSCS III-B4
311:DSCS III-A1
308:DSCS III-01
273:
258:
250:
242:transponders
235:
216:
197:
151:
148:
141:
133:
84:
61:
45:
41:
39:
29:
219:solar cells
106:Ross Island
1374:Categories
1233:Satellites
1131:SLV series
935:"DSCS III"
735:Deep Black
718:References
110:Antarctica
81:Background
1167:SB series
1032:2 January
1000:7 January
893:"DSCS II"
654:2003-040A
628:2003-008A
607:Atlas IIA
602:2000-001A
581:Atlas IIA
576:1997-065A
555:Atlas IIA
550:1995-038A
525:1993-074A
499:1993-046A
473:1992-037A
447:1992-006A
427:Titan 34D
422:1989-069B
401:Titan 34D
396:1989-069A
370:1985-092C
344:1985-092B
323:Titan 34D
318:1982-106B
231:hydrazine
1074:Archived
949:26 April
943:Archived
907:27 April
871:. AIAA.
850:27 April
809:26 April
803:Archived
779:26 April
773:Archived
701:See also
659:Delta IV
633:Delta IV
530:Atlas II
504:Atlas II
478:Atlas II
452:Atlas II
255:DSCS III
246:antennas
225:. Three
206:for the
87:military
67:STS-51-J
62:Atlantis
18:DSCS III
707:Milstar
643:USA-170
617:USA-167
591:USA-148
565:USA-134
539:USA-113
300:Rocket
156:DSCS II
73:out of
48:) is a
1337:EWS-G2
1332:EWS-G1
1302:XSS-12
1297:XSS-11
1291:XSS-10
1224:ASB-11
1219:SSB-10
875:
747:
514:USA-97
488:USA-93
462:USA-82
436:USA-78
411:USA-44
385:USA-43
359:USA-12
333:USA-11
238:X band
1327:ES-17
1322:LS-16
1317:LS-15
1312:ES-14
1285:LS-10
1214:SSB-9
1209:SSB-8
1204:SSB-7
223:watts
200:voice
116:IDCSP
1307:S-13
1293:(II)
1280:LS-9
1275:ES-8
1270:NS-7
1265:LS-6
1260:ES-5
1255:ES-4
1250:LS-3
1245:WS-2
1240:WS-1
1199:SB-6
1194:SB-5
1189:SB-4
1184:SB-3
1179:SB-2
1174:SB-1
1123:USSF
1121:and
1119:USAF
1034:2023
1002:2023
951:2017
909:2017
873:ISBN
852:2021
811:2017
781:2017
745:ISBN
267:and
202:and
100:and
46:DSCS
40:The
1287:(I)
741:187
104:on
1376::
1367:6
1025:.
1019:.
986:.
959:^
941:.
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