Extension of the qualification range of the ARIANE 5 launcher to the radiated electromagnetic transmissions of the satellites operating in Ka band

The present paper highlights the main results of a study aiming at extending the qualification range of the ARIANE 5 launcher with respect to the electromagnetic radiated emissions at the payloads/launcher interface in the Ka band (18-40 GHz). This study comes as an answer to the evolution of the payloads´ needs, which on the one hand are using this frequency band more and more often and for which, on the other hand, the request for telemetry transmission during the launcher´s flight is increasingly strong. This study has been performed in 2008/2011, in the frame of both a CNES and an ESA contracts. Several tests have been performed, at various levels, completed by some numerical modelling. The study has led to the modification of the launcher´s general specification of electromagnetic compatibility.