Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced that it has been awarded a subsidy for the Development of Internationally Competitive Full Digital Payload under the Development and Demonstration of Technologies for Internationally Competitive Communications Payloads, which is being financed by the 2nd phase of the Space Strategy Fund1 managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Mitsubishi Electric was previously selected as a representative organization for the project. Moving forward, the company aims to develop a full digital payload2 that offers communication flexibility and high security.
In recent years, there has been a growing demand for satellites whose functions and performance can be modified after launch to meet user requirements. Geostationary communication satellites, which are noted for their excellent wide-area coverage, broadcasting capabilities and disaster resilience, also offer digital communications payloads that can respond to fluctuations in satellite communication demand depending on the region and time of day by utilizing digital signal processing technology and rewriting software. Currently, these payloads are primarily developed and manufactured in Europe and the United States.
Mitsubishi Electric aims to develop a full digital payload offering both communication flexibility and high security, leveraging know-how it cultivated when developing the Engineering Test Satellite-9 commissioned by JAXA. The envisioned payload will expand the target communication area to the entire visible range of Earth by using a direct radiating array (DRA3) antenna and will enable flexible changes to the beam coverage area through digital beam forming (DBF4) technology, which forms radio waves in any desired direction within that range. In addition, a digital payload processor (DPP5) will enable the satellite to update its functions after launch by digitally processing communication signals and performing software-based communication control functions that were traditionally performed with fixed hardware.
Furthermore, functions that conceal communication content and protect signals from jamming will enable highly secure, stable communication that is resistant to detection and jamming by third parties. Such functions were previously difficult to implement due to the complexity and high volume of processing required, but Mitsubishi Electric will use high-performance application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC6) to develop a small, low-power payload, allowing the system to be mounted on a geostationary communication satellite.
SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, one of Asia’s largest satellite communication operators, will also participate in the technology development as a collaborative organization. It will investigate and assess potential use cases for communication satellites in the 2030s, as well as the expected requirements for satellite functionality and performance. By incorporating these insights into the design of a full digital payload, Mitsubishi Electric intends to develop communication satellites that meet future market needs.
Akira Funakoshi, leader of the representative organization and Senior Manager of the Satellite Full Digital Payload Engineering Section in the Satellite Electrical Components Department at Mitsubishi Electric’s Kamakura Works, said: “We are very pleased to have been selected as the representative organization for the Space Strategy Fund project and to have received the grant. Based on the knowledge and technological capabilities we have cultivated through our satellite development to date, we expect to develop a full digital payload that uses digital signal processing technology to flexibly adjust its functions in orbit after launch. Our goal is to help realize internationally competitive satellite services and systems and ensure the autonomy of Japan’s satellite systems.”
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