Preface
This book is about the payload of communications satellites. Several books have been written about the satellite bus or platform, particular satellites, general satellite communications, and applications of satellite communications, but the payload has been covered only briefly in these books. Detailed books on how to design the various payload units, for example, antennas and filters, exist, but no book focuses on unit performance at a level appropriate for payload systems engineering.
This book is a unique combination of practical payload systems engineering and applied communications theory. As the payload is desired to have higher and higher capability, it becomes larger and more complex. More complicated analyses are required. The payload systems engineer is called upon to deal with things he never had to before or deal with the old things in a more exact way, to squeeze out higher performance. The engineer about to model the end-to-end communications system needs to fully understand the payload subtleties, new or old. The writer of the payload part of the proposal needs to realize that the formulations or values of some requirements may have to be rethought out. A satellite customer new to the business may be mystified by discussions with the payload manufacturer and need more knowledge to be able to get what he wants. Today it takes on the order of 10 years to “know” the payload. This book can accelerate learning.
The intended audience of this book is the following ...
