2001 Fellow

Presented to: Mr. Roy E. Anderson

Citation: For designing a range-measuring navigation system consisting of 24 satellites in inclined, circular, medium altitude orbits and for using existing satellites to test the concept.

Mr. Roy E. Anderson, now retired, worked at the General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center where he developed and demonstrated navigation and mobile communications using satellites. He proposed a ranging system with an active surveillance mode and a passive navigation mode. His work on the system was first published in the Fall 1964 Institute of Navigation journal, NAVIGATION. The passive mode employed an orbit design and position determination method similar to the Timation and GPS systems. The surveillance mode, integrated with voice communications, was demonstrated through National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellites with aircraft, ships and land vehicles. Upon leaving GE in 1983, he co-founded the Mobile Satellite Corporation, which was later merged with other companies to form the American Mobile Satellite Corporation, now known as Motient.