Modeling the Performance of Beam Forming Software Defined Geostationary Communication Satellites

This paper demonstrates the importance of accurate modeling of the operation of the new generation of geostationary software defined satellites to obtain realistic performance capabilities and associated operating requirements. While software defined satellites provide operators with far more control and flexibility than is present in the existing geostationary fleets, this flexibility incurs a mass and power penalty that prohibits cost effective operation in only a static configuration. It is important that the performance benefit of dynamic operations, allowed by the satellites' flexibility, can compensate for these mass and power penalties. Unfortunately, real-world dynamic performance of these satellites is hard to capture in a specifications sheet and performance must be assessed via complex simulations against operator specific demand scenarios.