The WAVE mission payload

In this paper, an overview of the WAVE mission payload architecture is presented. WAVE (W-band Analysis and VErification) is the new project funded by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The aim is to design and develop a W-band geostationary (GEO) payload to be deployed for scientific experimental studies of the W-band channel and possible utilization in satellite data communications. The large bandwidth availability in the W-band range allows conceiving and proposing advanced services for future scenarios in order to meet high-quality requirements for a large number of users. The major parameters of the payload architecture are discussed in addition to the different requirements and specifications of the on-board transmission and reception components and their dependence on the host platform