THE DEVELOPMENT OF AERONAUTICAL MOBILE SATELLITE SERVICES OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS

This paper presents an overview of the development of aeronautical mob ile satellite services (AMSS) over the past 30 years. The inherent sho rtcomings of present air-ground HF communications have hindered the de velopment of civil aviation, but according to the Future Air Navigatio n Systems (FANS) concept aeronautical satellite communication-includin g Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS)-will be the key to eliminatin g the shortcomings of HF communication systems. Satellite-based commun ication and surveillance will significantly improve air traffic contro l (ATC) over the oceanic and remote terrestrial airspace, and it will benefit civil aviation authorities, airlines as well as passengers. Th is paper discusses the availability of system elements, and world wide trials, demonstrations and preoperational use of aeronautical satelli te communications over past years are described. Future satellite syst ems possible for aeronautical communications are also discussed.