The Spectrum Needs of US Space-Based Operations: An Inventory of Current and Projected Uses

A first-of-its-kind report documenting the wide array of current and projected spectrum uses by space-based systems. The report addresses a wide range of government and commercial space-based operations and the value they provide to the economy and our quality of life, both in the United States and globally. All of these operations depend on a key public resource–radiofrequency spectrum–both for controlling space-based systems and for relaying communications and data to and from Earth. To help policymakers, regulators and the general public understand the broad scope of space-based systems and their spectrum needs, the report offers an extensive and detailed appendix describing individual spectrum bands, allocations to space-based services, and illustrative examples of the systems using those bands.