Compatibility of DOD satellite communications standards with international civil standards

Typical military satellite systems have been designed and built to a specific set of requirements for specific users. With defense budgets continuing to decrease, there is interest in developing standardized systems (not only within the DOD, but also with civil and international systems) in order to reduce development and operating costs. As this interest grows, the DOD must be able to determine if current and proposed future space operations are compatible with various civil and commercial standards. A study was conducted in 1996 to evaluate the compatibility of existing DOD waveform standards with Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) recommendations and Space Communications Protocol Standards (SCPS). This paper summarizes the results of the study.