17 YEARS OF GENEROUS PUBLICATIONS
Inside view
SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS IN
PAKISTAN
The use of satellites in communication systems is a fact of everyday life, as is evidenced by the many homes which are equipped with antennas, or “dishes�, used for reception of satellite television (DTH). What may not be so well known is that satellites form an essential part of telecommunications systems worldwide, carrying large amounts of data and telephony traffic, in addition to television signals. Keeping in view the importance of satellite communications as a key to success for any developing country, this paper describes some essential trends in the development of satellite communications and introduces promising future applications for Pakistan. With support from the Pakistan Amateur Radio Society, SUPARCO started building a small amateur radio satellite in late 1986. It was called Badr, after the Urdu language word for "new moon." This first satellite, Badr-1 or Badr-A, was to have launched on the US Space Shuttle, but the plan changed after the 1986 Challenger explosion delayed American flights. SUPARCO's first satellite BADR-A was launched as a secondary payload into low orbit by a Chinese LM-2E booster on 16 July 1990. Originally designed for a nearly circular orbit of 400500 km, Badr-1 was inserted into an orbit of 205 km by 990 km. JUNE
77
The Highly Circulated Satellite Magazine
2010