TWTAs for Satellite Communications:
Past, Present and Future
Kevin P. Mallon
President, L-3 ETI
IEEE IVEC 2008
April 22, 2008
Monterey, CA
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TWTAs & Satellites – Together at the Start
Syncom II Satellite
• Launched July 26, 1963
• 78 pounds
• BOL dc power = 28 W
• Payload: 2W L-band
TWTAs (Qty 2:1)
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Today’s Communications Satellites
ICO G1 Satellite
• Launched April 14, 2008
• ~15,000 pounds
• > 18 kW BOL dc power
• Payload: 130W S-band
TWTAs (Qty 60:48) and 120W
K-band TWTAs (Qty 8:6)
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45 Years of Satellite Evolution
28 inches
1320 inches
Any Year, Any Size – TWTAs Continue as the Preferred
Microwave Amplifier for Communications Satellites
Syncom II ICO G1
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1992 – 2007 Statistics
• Data is for Commercial, Geosynchronous, Communications Satellites
• These Satellite provide the vast majority of satellite services that have
become a part of everyday life
• ~300 Satellites Launched
• >13,600 Microwave Amplifiers Launched
• ~ 3,100 SSPAs Launched
• ~10,500 TWTAs Launched
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GEO Satellites by Payload Configuration
GEO SATELLITE TYPES 1992-2007
69%
24%
6% 1%
ALL TWTAs
TWTA / SSPA HYBRID
ALL SSPAs
PHASED ARRAY/ TWTAHYBRID
TWTA Based Payload Configurations on More Than 93% of
Vehicles Launched from 1992-2007
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TWTA vs. SSPA Trend Over Time
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
CALENDAR YEAR
HPAs per S/C TWTAs per S/C SSPAs per S/C
TWTAs Have Recovered Market Share over the Last Decade
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Share by Frequency 2003 - 2007
FREQUENCY
BAND
SSPAs TWTAs
QUANTITY % OF TOTAL QUANTITY % OF TOTAL
L 442 100 0 0
S 0 0 142 100
C 191 13 1238 87
X 0 0 51 100
Ku 0 0 2058 100
K 0 0 350 100
TWTAs Dominate from 2 to 22 GHz, Overall TWTA Market
Share is ~ 87% Over the Past 5 Years
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So Why TWTAs for Satellites?
•Performance
•Reliability
•Ruggedness
•Flexibility
When Demonstrated Performance and Capability
are Required and the Mission has Zero Tolerance
for Theoretical Capability, Emotional Favoritism or
Deceptive Marketing, TWTAs are the Right Choice
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TWTAs to Enable Future Satellites
300W S-Band TWTA
TWT efficiency >74%
EPC efficiency >94.5%
TWTA efficiency >70%
TWTA mass < 9 pounds
200W Ka-Band TWTA
TWT efficiency >60%
EPC efficiency >94%
TWTA efficiency >56%
TWTA mass < 12 pounds
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Summary
• TWTAs flew on-board the first satellites because they were the only
available choice for microwave amplification
• TWTAs continue with a dominant market position today because of
demonstrated capability to satisfy the needs of the world’s most
demanding customers
• TWTAs will continue to provide the majority of microwave
amplification on communications satellites in the foreseeable future
as TWTA technology enables next-generation payload architectures