Air traffic control (ATC) mandated, aircraft separations over the oceans impose a limitation on traffic capacity for a given corridor, given the projected traffic growth over the Western Atlantic Track Routing System (WATRS). The separations result from a lack of acceptable situational awareness over oceans where radar position updates are not available. This study considers the use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) data transmitted over a commercial satellite communications system as an approach to provide ATC with the needed situational awareness and thusly allow for reduced aircraft separations. This study uses Federal Aviation Administration data from a single day for the WATRS corridor to analyze traffic loading to be used as a benchmark against which to compare several approaches for coordinating data transmissions from the aircraft to the satellites. Welch, Bryan and Greenfeld, Israel Glenn Research Center NASA/TM-2005-213630, E?15113 WBS 22-184-10-07 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL; SATELLITE COMMUNICATION; SITUATIONAL AWARENESS; PILOT SUPPORT SYSTEMS; AIRCRAFT COMMUNICATION; FLIGHT PATHS; ATLANTIC OCEAN; DATA TRANSMISSION; FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS; AERONAUTICAL SATELLITES