Satellite Communications Payload and System

Covers both payload systems engineering and applied communications theory

It takes more than ten years on the job for a communications-satellite payload engineer to "know" the payload. Satellite Communications Payload and System accelerates that learning. It provides the information needed to design, develop, specify, analyze, and validate a payload that will work as part of the end-to-end (that is, ground-to-space-to-ground) communications system. It explores the technology of payloads currently on orbit.

This is the only book that:

• Describes the payload units at a systems engineering level, plus tells how they work. The units are antennas, low-noise amplifiers, frequency converters, filters, high-power amplifiers, and units particular to processing payloads
• Sufficiently describes what the on-orbit environment does to payload electronics over the satellite's lifetime
• Connects communications theory to the details of payload and link behavior
• Contains a probabilistic treatment of multi-beam payload performance with atmospherics, over life
• Gives tips on how to ensure quality of end-to-end communications system simulation

Satellite Communications Payload and System is the ideal guide and reference for systems engineers of the payload or the end-to-end communications system, at all career stages. It is an important resource for satellite customers, proposal writers, payload unit engineers, spacecraft bus engineers, and control center engineers who want reliable payload information. It provides real examples for students of systems engineering, microwave engineering, space technology, communications theory, probability theory, and communications simulation.