science

Spaceway

Spaceway is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Spaceway rather than just read about it. In short: The Spaceway system was originally envisioned as a global Ka-band communications system by Hughes Electronics. When the project to build the system was taken over by Hughes Network Systems, a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics, it was transformed into a phased deployment initially only launching a North American satellite system.

Key takeaways

Spaceway belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Spaceway to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Spaceway from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Spaceway system was originally envisioned as a global Ka-band communications system by Hughes Electronics. When the project to build the system was taken over by Hughes Network Systems, a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics, it was transformed into a phased deployment initially only launching a North American satellite system. This is in comparison to other more ambitious systems such as Teledesic and Astrolink which retained their full global nature and which subsequently failed to complete their systems. Hughes Network Systems working with Hughes Electronics subsidiary Hughes Space and Communications (and subsequently sold to Boeing and called Boeing Satellite Systems and later the Boeing Satellite Development Center) completed and built the North American Spaceway system meant to provide broadband capabilities of up to 512 kbit/s, 2 Mbit/s, and 16 Mbit/s uplink data communication rates with fixed Ka-band satellite terminal antennas sized as small as 74 centimetres (29 in). The broadband Spaceway system was standardized by Telecommunications Industry Association and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as the Regenerative Satellite Mesh - A Air Interface. After News Corp purchased a controlling interest in Hughes Electronics, the company sold off its controlling interest in Hughes Network Systems but retained Spaceway-1 and Spaceway-2 for use in the DirecTV satellite television subsidiary of Hughes Electronics. Boeing retrofitted the first two satellites for bent pipe Ka-band communications for use in high-definition television and disabled the regenerative on-board processing of the original system that was to be used for broadband satellite communications. Despite statements to the contrary in the system's initial filings with the Federal Communications Commission, none of the three satellites have inter-satellite links connecting the satellites directly with each other in space. Spaceway-1, Spaceway-2 and Spaceway-3 have been launched and Hughes Network Systems had an option to purchase and have Boeing build Spaceway-4. Spaceway-1, after exceeding its design life by two and a half years, was decommissioned in February 2020 after suffering extensive thermal damage to its batteries in December 2019, forcing the satellite to be moved to a graveyard orbit to prevent the risk of it exploding.

Notes

References "SPACEWAY Technical Specifications". Hughes Network Systems. Archived from the original on 30 October 2006.

External links Spaceway 3 Boeing's Original Spaceway Specification and Picture

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Spaceway

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Spaceway claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Spaceway before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Spaceway ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Spaceway

In research: Spaceway appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Spaceway in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Spaceway is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Communications satellites, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Spaceway outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Spaceway in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Spaceway means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Spaceway out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spaceway in simple terms?

Why does Spaceway matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Spaceway?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Spaceway.