Active transmit phased array analysis program (ATPAL)

Active transmit phased array (ATPA) is a technology that can be applied to both commercial and military satellite communication payloads to improve their capacity and flexibility. To assess the performance of ATPAs requires the development of a new software tool, as software tools to analyze the performance of traditional satellite payloads cannot be used in general. It is because, unlike the performance analysis for traditional satellite payloads, amplifier nonlinearity effects and antenna beam-forming analyses cannot be de-coupled in general and therefore cannot be analyzed separately. This paper describes a new software tool, called ATPAL, developed by SAIC to support Defense Information Systems Agency, Center For Systems Engineering (DISA/CFSE) to evaluate the ATPA technology for possible insertion into future military satellites. General ATPA performances deduced from simulation with ATPAL are also presented, along with recommendations for future enhancement to the program and further ATPA simulation work.