Re: Milstar

jbarker@arinc.com
Thu, 6 Feb 1997 13:04:30 -0500 

     All of us are here to learn and share our experience.  It is not, 
     however, unreasonable to expect someone to do their homework before 
     they put up wild speculation.  Bruno, check out things on your own 
     first, then ask intelligent questions, the answers to which may teach 
     all of us something.
     
     Milstar satellites are owned and operated by the U.S. Department of 
     Defense. The Air Force is tasked to control their position in space 
     but all DoD satellites are considered joint service assets so it is 
     the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that determines priorities for 
     service.  The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) does that for 
     the OJCS.  
     
     There is a wealth of information on Milstar available on the WWW.
     
     Use a search engine like AltaVista or Yahoo and many URL's will be 
     listed.
     
     The Milstar Joint Service Program Office has a homepage at 
     http://www.laafb.af.mil.  It includes information on the satellites 
     and even has a few pictures.  Also pages on GPS, DSP, and some other 
     unclassified satellites.  Also try http://www.fafb.af.mil.  
     
     There is also information on the WWW on many of the new EHF ground 
     terminals that have been are are being developed to interface with the 
     Milstar satellites and other communications satellites that carry EHF 
     comms transponders.
     
     Jeff Barker                jbarker@arinc.com


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Milstar
Author:  Bruno Tilgner <100533.2016@compuserve.com> at SMTPGATE
Date:    2/5/97 4:12 PM


     
Philip Chien wrote in reply to my supposition that this is an ELINT satellite:
     
>Nope, just a plain o'le comsat.  Well, the world's largest geosync comsat 
and some pretty nifty capabilities.  Given the amount of unclassified 
documentation and photographs I have of it, I'd highly doubt that it's got 
any ELINT functions which I'm not aware of.<
     
OK, but whose satellite is it? Certainly not EUTELSAT's, certainly not any
of the European PTTs', most probably not INTELSAT's. That leaves practically no 
potential owner in this part of the world. 
     
And why these gigantic dimensions? Ordinary comsats don't need antennas that 
large but they would be perfectly suited to monitoring wireless communications.
     
     
Bruno Tilgner
100533.2016@compuserve.com