BEAM OVERLOADING SOLUTION FOR OVERLAPPED FIXED BEAMS

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for allocating beams transmitted from, and received at, positions in Earth orbit for communicating with portable, mobile and fixed terminals and gateways by forming footprints using fixed beam antennas on board satellites flying in orbits below geosynchronous altitude. The footprints illuminate an Earth-fixed grid, including Earth-fixed cells. The spacing of the beams is reduced to create a cluster of beams which operates as a single entity wherein a ratio of beams is an integer multiple n of an amount of down-converters. Responsibility for communication with the target Earth-fixed cell is switched from a first of the cluster of beams to a second of the cluster of beams when the target Earth-fixed cell is within an overlap region shared by the first and the second of the cluster of beams.