Phased arrays for communication satellites. I - System concepts

The paper discusses one possible application of a satellite that has the advantage of providing high EIRP, high capacity and universal service. The approach is based on satellite-switched TDMA where one of the spot beams is a scanning beam. The block diagram of a high-capacity satellite employing several fixed beams and a scanning spot beam is described. The transponder is an integration of a phased array, microwave amplifiers and phase shifters, and a control system, all of which are discussed in some detail.