Test Plan for Experiments to Provide Preliminary End-to-End Communication System Performance of an A

in order for users to have a full understanding of how state-of-the-art satellite technology can improve the quality and reduce the costs of space-based communications, users must be given the system performance in terms they understand. For example, most users do not care how fast data can be routed through the satellite bus. The users want to know how fast they can send their data and thus the cost of sending a given amount of data. The experiments described in this test plan will provide a preliminary characterization of the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) from the user's perspective. The tests are designed, executed, and analyzed according to the American National Standards X3.102 and X3.141. The performance parameter values estimated in this preliminary characterization experiment will be used in the full characterization experiment to define failurehon-performance outcome thresholds.