Abstract: A system for protecting a power unit on a spacecraft may include a ground station. The ground station may include a power unit loading estimation and monitoring module for estimating a power loading level on a power unit of the spacecraft power unit. The ground station may also include a ground station power limiter to regulate a power of a signal for transmission from the ground station to the spacecraft to prevent overloading the spacecraft power unit. The power of the signal for transmission to the spacecraft may be regulated based at least in part on an estimated power loading level on the power unit of the spacecraft.

Abstract: A system for protecting a power unit on a spacecraft may include a ground station. The ground station may include a power unit loading estimation and monitoring module for estimating a power loading level on a power unit of the spacecraft power unit. The ground station may also include a ground station power limiter to regulate a power of a signal for transmission from the ground station to the spacecraft to prevent overloading the spacecraft power unit. The power of the signal for transmission to the spacecraft may be regulated based at least in part on an estimated power loading level on the power unit of the spacecraft.

Abstract: An active redundancy system for high power satellite communications payloads that use multiple antenna beams driven by multiple power amplifiers and that require power redistribution among the beams during the lifetime of a payload uses a number of power amplifiers equal to or greater than the number of antenna feeder elements to provide extra output power at the beginning of life, instead of commonly used redundancy switches. As power amplifiers fail, the amplitude and phase of the signals driving the remaining power amplifiers are adjusted to maintain antenna performance. Power amplifiers having sufficient capacity are used to ensure that, given an anticipated number of power amplifier chain failures, performance requirements can be met at the end of life.