New Heights for Satellites: LTCC Multilayer Technology for Future Satellites

Over the past few years, the demands on satellite communication have undergone significant changes, and, as a consequence, its technologies and system designs are also changing in important ways. Since the introduction of high-definition television, classical geostationary (GEO) satellites in orbit at 36,800 km must transmit higher data rates. Also, GEO satellites are increasingly used for global data transfer, e.g., for Internet applications and business communication. As a consequence, higher-frequency bandwidth, higher transmitting frequencies in the millimeter-wave range, and efficient frequency reuse are needed [1].