The ETS-VI satellite system and experiments

National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has successfully launched and operated five Engineering Test Satellites(ETSs): ETS-I(1975), ETSII(1977), ETS-111(198",), ETS-IV(1981) and ETSV(1987), to develop basic technologies in order to apply them to practical satellites. The ETS-VI, now being developed as the sixth ETS, is a two-ton-class satellite which can be applied to communications satellites, broadcasting satellites, and others in the 1990's. The satellite has not only a single payload, but 11 mission payloads. It has been shown that the satellite bus has large capability and adaptability to install many mission payloads, to supply electrical power to them, to control their thcrmal conditions, and so on. This paper presents the characteristics of the ETS-VI systemproto-flight-model(PFM) and orbital experiments of its various payloads, especially focusing on an intersatellite contmimications(1SC) experiment as one of the interesting experiments.