On-Board Processing for Communication Satellites – Principles and Challenges

The increasing demand of communication services, coupled with rapidly changing customer needs lead to the introduction of more and more powerful On-Board Processors (OBP). The algorithmic and processing requirements for such an equipment are permanently increasing. Efficient use of limited spectral resources and the use of small terminals generally implies multi-beam satellite coverage and the associated need for digital beamforming and routing flexibility between beams favour on-board digital processing. Therefore it is time to face the challenges of this type of equipment.This paper provides a description of the advantages of the use of OBPs in telecommunications satellites, it describes the principles and challenges, and concludes with the work currently in progress.