Abstract
Frequency congestion in the established C-band (6/4 GHz) and Ku-band (14/11 GHz) used for fixed service satellite communications (satcom) will eventually impose a move to the Ka-band (30/20 GHz) space allocation. Japan is already providing internal Ka-band satcom services via its national CS-2 spacecraft which was launched in 1983. CS-2 is the first of a number of national and international satellites carrying Ka-band payloads which are promised in the next five years to provide both fixed telecommunication services and inter-satellite relays. Europe's first experimental venture into this new band will be starting in 1989 with the launch of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Olympus satellite.This paper describes a national project aimed at securing for the UK a share of this future space market. This is the development by Marconi of an advanced 30/20 GHz space craft transponder for the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) at Defford as part of a programme sponsored by the British National Space Centre (BNSC). This experimental transponder will provide the UK springboard for the development and testing of the many novel features of tomorrow's communications satellite payloads.
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