Multibeam SS-TDMA design considerations related to the Olympus Specialised Services Payload

The paper discusses some of the particular design problems associated with a multibeam satellite-switched time-domain multiple-access (SS-TDMA) satellite payload. Contiguous beam coverage and frequency reuse between beams are shown to place some important constraints on the antenna performance. The local oscillator, switch matrix and input/output chain designs are dependent on the interbeam switching requirements. These design considerations are referenced to the Olympus Specialised Services Payload, for which a description, performance summary and link budget are presented.