A future satellite communications system using millimetre-wave bands and an on-board processor

This paper proposes the system concept of a personal satellite communications system that will be available in the first decade of the 21st century. Technologies of millimetre-wave bands and an onboard processor with baseband switching promise to meet the requirements of a personal communications system: portability, low-cost, and large capacity. Based on the prospects of these technologies, the most likely parameters for the future personal satellite communications system and the configuration of a suitable on-board processor are proposed. A trial model of such an on-board processor has been made. In this paper, details of the trial model on-board processor and its future developments are described.