Comms
SWaP benefits of highly integrated multibeam beamformers for payload phased-array antennas - Story
March 17, 2025Low Earth orbit (LEO) satcom services promise worldwide coverage on the ground, at sea, and in flight, reaching rural and remote regions, as well as supporting disaster zones where ground-based networks might be disabled. LEO constellation systems can substantially reduce launch and equipment costs, cut latency by 20 times compared with geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) links, and manage bandwidth and users more efficiently. In order for this vision to be realized, electronically steered arrays at both ends of the link become essential to support the continuous, independent, fast scanning of multiple beams and the regular handoffs as satellites come in and out of view. The payload is a particular challenge because it operates in a power-limited environment when DC power dissipation is critical. One solution: a family of multibeam beamforming integrated circuits (ICs) that support a high level of functionality such as multibeam capability, beam-hopping, beam memory, and the ability to scale the number of beams to support any mission requirement.
