A candid insider's look at the creation of the most advanced digital communications satellite of its time that sparked a revolution in the field of communications and helped spawn Ka Band systems such as Spaceway, Astrolink, Euroskyway, and others. Although created in the early 1980's, the ACTS program correctly forecasted demand for interactive services well ahead of the rise of the Internet and used a market-based approach for defining the needed technology. The book provides a fascinating chronicle of the breakthrough events from the perspectives of the authors, who were intimately involved in every phase of the project, dramatically illustrated with scores of color graphics and photographs highlighting the hardware and the participants. Easy to read but with ample references for further research, it provides a compelling case study of a complex space system development project covering both the technical and managerial aspects. Because this material is not normally released for commercial systems, readers will obtain valuable insights into the world of high-risk technology and the role of government in sponsoring technology development for commercial systems. Key Features: - Dramatically illustrated with color graphics and photographs of key equipment and people, plus striking line diagrams of how the system was conceived and built - Technical concepts explained in simple terms with no equations or formulas - Includes extensive references - Shows how to find money for new government technology programs