Abstract: A satellite payload having d transparent channels, a first plurality d of band-pass channel filters IMUX of bandwidth .delta. that filter received signals, frequency converters, a plurality k of channel amplifiers (k.gtoreq.d), power amplifiers and a second plurality p of channel filters OMUX that filter the signals amplified by the channel amplifiers and the power amplifiers, d amplifiers assigned to said d channels, the frequency converters including at least one mixer and at least one source of a conversion frequency signal, wherein the g band-pass channel filters IMUX filter the received signals before frequency conversion by the converters.

Abstract: The invention provides a multibeam antenna comprising:an array 11 of N.sub.e elementary sources 31; energy-focusing optical means comprising a reflector 10 or a lens; the array being situated in the focal zone of said focusing means: and a feed and control circuit cooperating with the N.sub.e primary sources 31 to produce N.sub.b beams each generated from a subgroup of the primary sources, some of which are shared between overlapping beams; the feed and control circuit comprising phase shifter means and attenuator means, said means being organized in N.sub.e feed channels for said N.sub.e primary sources, each feed channel including specific means for acting on the phase and the amplitude of an excitation signal in each feed channel;wherein each required beam is generated by the multibeam antenna solely by acting on the phase and the amplitude of the excitation delivered to each elementary source forming a portion of said beam; andwherein the number of sources N.sub.i contributing to a beam i, 1.ltoreq.i.