Satellite transponder system with multiple redundancy for on-orbit verification of LTCC technology at K-band

A satellite transponder system for the on-orbit verification of low temperature co-fired ceramics technology (LTCC) at K-band is presented. It is part of the payload of a small scientific satellite to be launched in summer 2011. The transponder converts S-band input signals to K-band and, after bandpass filtering, back to the S-band output for downlink. The K-band stage consists of various advanced LTCC hardware and exhibits high redundancy. Verification is achieved by measuring the payload output signal and, additionally, voltages and powers on the transponder board. Successful ground-based environmental tests were conducted for space qualification. Some of the results proving a technology readiness level of eight are reported.