In this paper, functional blocks of a generic on-board processing payload are identified, and some key technology implementation issues for on-board RF andlor baseband switching, signal regeneration and processing are addressed. The design and performance characteristics of a microwave switch matrix and a 120 Mb/s coherent quadrature phase shift keying demodulator for satellite applications are presented. This hardware is realized with monolithic microwave integration technology. Significant performance improvement and reduction in size and weight, as well as enhanced subsystem reliability, have been demonstrated, making these technologies attractive for flexible communications satellite payload architectures of the future. Transmission analysis is performed to quantify link budget advantages that could be obtained by using on-board regeneration.
KEY WORDS On-board regeneration On-board processing Satellite switching SS-TDMA Baseband switching
Designing a world-wide satellite network that consists of hundreds of user sites and thousands of circuit connections is a complex problem, which involves selecting a set of candidate satellites and satellite beamdfrequency bands from among numerous existing and planned satellites, evaluation of circuit connectivity, earth-station compatibility and sizing, and estimating transponder loading. The design process may also require assessment of the impact of a different set of satellites and modified user traffic requirements on the space segment, the earth-station types and quantity, and the total system cost. Although a conventional design approach based on link-by-link and site-by-site analysis provides accurate results, it is time-consuming and impractical for developing high-level network architectures in a time-constrained environment. A design technique is proposed which employs a set of rules for satellite network design, in combination with extensive databases of satellite parameters, earth-station parameters and user traffic requirements, to synthesize a network architecture. The technique is particularly useful for performing high-level trade-offs among alternative architectures in terms of space segment requirements, the number and type of earth-stations and overall system cost. Once the desired architecture has been selected, a detailed design may be developed using conventional methods.
KEY WORDS Satellite network design Rule-based design Fixed satellite services FDMA INTELSAT Bandwidth requirements Transponder capacity
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