Satellite communication system employing a combination of time division multiplexing and non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes and time slots

1. A satellite communication system for communicating between a plurality of user terminals comprising:

at least one satellite which provides multiple beams;

a plurality of user terminals that communicate with each other, a public switched telephone network, or a data network, via said at least one satellite; and

at least one gateway connected to the public switched telephone network and/or the data network and communicating with at least one user terminal over at least one satellite,

wherein each of said user terminals within a given frequency band of the satellite communication system is distinguished from another of said user terminals employing a combination of time division multiplexing and only non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes and time slots where each of the time slots includes only the non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes to distinguish each of said user terminals;

wherein said user terminals located in a satellite beam are distinguished from another of said user terminals located in an adjacent satellite beam assigned to an identical time slot by a scrambling code comprising a pseudorandom noise sequence uniquely assigned to each beam.

2. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 1 wherein said time division multiplexing and non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes are implemented in a forward and return link.

3. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 2 wherein said forward link comprises time division multiplexing and said return link uses only non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes in each of the time slots to distinguish the users.

4. The satellite communication as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one satellite comprises a LEO constellation satellite system.

5. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 4 wherein said time division multiplexing and non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes are used in a forward and return link.

6. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 4 wherein said forward link comprises time division multiplexing and said return link uses only non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes in each of the time slots to distinguish the users.

7. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 1 wherein said satellite system comprises a MEO satellite system.

8. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 7 wherein said time division multiplexing and said non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes and time slots are implemented in a forward and return link.

9. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 7 wherein said forward link comprises time division multiplexing and said return link uses only non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes in each of the time slots to distinguish the users.

10. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one satellite comprises a GEO satellite constellation.

11. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 10 wherein said time division multiplexing and said non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes and time slots are implemented in a forward and return link.

12. The satellite communication system as defined in claim 10 wherein said forward link comprises time division multiplexing and said return link comprises only non-orthogonal pseudorandom noise codes in each of the time slots to distinguish the users.