High Throughput Satellite (HTS)

A high-throughput satellite (HTS) is a communications satellite designed to deliver substantially greater total system capacity than conventional wide-beam satellites, primarily through the use of multiple narrow spot beams and aggressive frequency reuse. HTS systems typically operate in higher frequency bands, most commonly Ka-band, and employ advanced payload technologies such as multibeam antennas, digital channelisation, and adaptive resource allocation.

By reusing the same frequency spectrum many times across different spot beams, an HTS can achieve aggregate throughputs an order of magnitude or more greater than traditional satellites, enabling broadband and multimedia services for fixed, mobile, maritime, and aeronautical users. The increased capacity is generally achieved at the expense of more complex payloads, higher sensitivity to propagation impairments, and greater reliance on gateway diversity and adaptive link control techniques. HTS architectures are particularly well suited to broadband Internet access, backhaul, and mobility services requiring high data rates. Most modern GEO broadband constellations, as well as emerging non-GEO systems, adopt HTS principles.

Early HTS implementations include: Anik F2 (July 2004); Americom (SES) AMC-15/16(0ctober2004); Thaicom (4 August 2005); SPACEWAY 3 (August 2007); WINDS (February 2008); KA-SAT (December 2010); Yahsat Y1A (April 2011), ViaSat-1 (October 2011); Yahsat YlB (April 2012); EchoStar® XVII (July 2012); HYLAS 2 (July 2012); Amazones (3 February 2013); O3b (June 2013); and Inmarsat-5 F1 (December 2013).