Networking of Large Numbers of Satellites

Abstract

There are currently a large number of technologies and system concepts being offered for use as SDI systems. All of them employ significant numbers of satellites in orbit around the earth. This introduces the task of networking a large number of satellites for the passage of command and control traffic. The purpose of this paper is not to discuss any specific SDI system, but to demonstrate that a large network of satellites is not an impediment, but rather an opportunity to promote rapid distribution of information.