TACSAT

TACSAT was designed to experimentally test and develop tactical communications concepts for all US military services. The mission evaluated the feasibility of using satellite communication repeaters with small surface terminal communication equipment for highly mobile land, sea and air forces. The project was led by the USAF Space and Missile Systems Organization (SAMSO).

Spacecraft
Cylindrical shaped aluminum structure with passive thermal control. Spin stabilized (54 rpm) to 0.1 deg using new gyrostat technique. Body mounted solar cells generated 980 W max. Three NiCd batteries with 6 AHr each.

Payload
The vehicle carried two transponders, one at X-band and one at UHF. The X-band transponder had a bandwidth of 10 Mhz and a maximum RF power of 30 watts. The UHF transponder had a bandwidth of 10 Mhz and a maximum RF output of 230 watts. Provision was made for cross strapping the UHF and X-band up and downlinks with a reduced usable bandwidth of 425 kHz. Earth coverage horn antennas were used at X-band, bifilar helices were used at UHF.

Country of Origin	United States
Customer/User	USAF/SAMSO
Manufacturer(s)	Hughes
Size	Cylinder: 3.4 m tall, 3 m diameter
Orbit	Geosynchronous
Design Life	46 months

Launch Facts

Name	Int'l Desig.	Date	Site	Vehicle	Orbit	Mass(kg)
Notes
Tacsat 1 (Tacomsat)	1969-013A	2/9/69	ESMC	Titan 3C		730
Experimental commsat