Maximum Power Transmission in Mass-Limited Radio Systems

A simple fundamental relationship is derived between antenna gain and transmitter power which maximizes the effective radiated power in mass-limited satellite systems. In the most common case, maximum effective radiated power is achieved when the payload mass is divided equally between the antenna system and the power system. Although this may have been known intuitively to satellite designers, to the author's knowledge this relationship has never been published. Example calculations show that considerable increases in performance can be expected for satellites which employ high-gain multibeam antennas.