Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A satellite system can include one or more satellites that orbit the Earth. The one or more satellites may have satellite buses that support antenna arrays. The antenna arrays may include space fed arrays. Each space fed array may have an antenna feed array and an inner array that is coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite band as the space fed array, or upconversion and downconversion circuitry may be used to communicatively couple a direct radiating array that operates in a different satellite band to the space fed array. The satellites may have peripheral walls with corner fittings that can be selected to provide the satellite bus with particular leg strengths. This can reduce overall mass of the satellites in a payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.

Abstract: A communication system has a high altitude communication device that has an antenna for directing beams to a fixed cell pattern with a polarity of cells. A specific pattern of cells having the same communication resource is provided. Cells having the same resource may be separated. The antenna is shaped to suppress interference with locations having the same resource. The areas not having the same resource are not suppressed to allow the system to have maximum capacity and allow a smaller antenna aperture.

Abstract: A system has a stratospheric platform with a payload controller and a phased array antenna having a plurality of elements. A gateway station communicates with the stratospheric platform. The gateway station scales the plurality of elements to form a reconfigurable plurality of beams. The gateway station communicates a control signal to the stratospheric platform to communicate a scaling of the elements. The stratospheric platform configures the elements of the phased array antenna according to the scaling using adaptive interference rejections.

Abstract: A communication system has a high altitude communication device that has an antenna for directing beams to a fixed cell pattern with a polarity of cells. A specific pattern of cells having the same communication resource is provided. Cells having the same resource may be separated. The antenna is shaped to suppress interference with locations having the same resource. The areas not having the same resource are not suppressed to allow the system to have maximum capacity and allow a smaller antenna aperture.

Abstract: A communication system has a high altitude communication device that has an antenna for directing beams to a fixed cell pattern with a polarity of cells. A specific pattern of cells having the same communication resource is provided. Preferably, cells having the same resource are separated. The antenna is shaped to suppress interference with locations having the same resource. The areas not having the same resource are not suppressed to allow the system to have maximum capacity and allow a smaller antenna aperture.

Abstract: A method for rapid acquisition of a specific subscriber by a ground-based beamformer includes the steps of defining a coverage area as an arrangement of a plurality of cells wherein one of the plurality of cells includes a specific subscriber; defining a partition of cell clusters wherein one of the cell clusters includes the one of the plurality of cells that includes the specific subscriber; forming a beam that corresponds to an area of one of the cell clusters; and scanning the beam to the cell cluster that includes the specific subscriber.

Abstract: A communications system (10) and method of operating the communications system includes a first stratospheric platform generating a second beam having a frequency the same as a satellite beam to the same service area. User terminals are configured to receive the first beam or the second beam.

Abstract: Devices and methods are disclosed for reducing power control cushion of a user terminal configured to communicate with a satellite and a gateway station. The present invention provides a power control algorithm implemented in a user terminal that is designed to operate in a satellite communication system. The power control algorithm can recursively calculate a returnlink power to reduce a power control cushion so that an extra link margin is available to the satellite communication system. The present invention also provides a source coding technique that provides an accurate feedback signal for the user terminal. The average metric of input signal frames is coded in a sequence of bits that are carried by contiguous output signal frames.

Abstract: A method for coherent phase synchronous CDMA communications between a gateway and multiple subscribers via multiple transponder platforms that includes the step of synchronizing a local reference clock for each subscriber in a service area to a single master reference clock for multiple transponder platforms wherein the distance separating the transponder platforms is constrained to a range wherein the local reference clocks for all subscribers have substantially the same phase with respect to the master reference clock.

Abstract: A system and method for tracking a user. The system is adapted for use in a wireless communication system and creates a plurality of beams within a coverage area. A first beam is directed at a user in a first microcell and a number of additional beams illuminate microcells immediately adjacent the first microcell. The system is equipped with a mechanism for detecting movement of the user from the first microcell to one of the immediately adjacent microcells. On the detection of movement of the user, the system redirects the first beam from the first microcell to a second microcell, the second microcell being one of the adjacent microcells. In the illustrative embodiment, the system is implemented in a stratospheric platform based communication system including a hub adapted to communicate with a stratospheric platform. A transceiver and a phased array antenna are disposed on the platform to communicate with the hub and with the user. A second antenna is provided on the platform to communicate with the hub.

Abstract: A communications system and method of operating the communications system includes a high altitude communication device that communicates with a plurality of user terminals and a gateway station. The gateway station couples the users to terrestrial networks and other users. The high altitude communication device has a controller that assigns a first code to a beam of a first plurality of users. When one of the first plurality of users moves to interfere with one of the other of the first plurality of users, the beam associated with the user is reassigned another code.

Abstract: A method for integrating coverage areas of multiple transponder platforms includes the step of arranging a plurality of coverage areas in a cluster wherein each of the plurality of coverage areas is assigned a color that differs from that of every other coverage area in a same cluster and wherein each of the plurality of coverage areas overlaps at least one other coverage area in the same cluster for maximizing utilization of multiple system resources.

Abstract: A method and system for communicating includes a plurality of cells having base units therein. Each of the base units communicates with a plurality of users within the cells. A communications platform is located in a stratospheric location for transmitting and receiving information with respect to the base units. A gateway station communicates with the communications platform and routes signals to terrestrial networks or other user back through the communications platform. A microcell within at least one of the cells is used to provide coverage in a small geographic area such as within a building. Each of the microcells is also in communication with the gateway station through the platform.