Passive components for advanced satellite systems

The successful introduction of Ka-Band satellite services and imminent launch of additional services together with future thrusts towards advanced satellite deployment, has stirred industry interest in ongoing component developments. This paper overviews some recent key passive component developments in the areas of passive filtering and multiplexing, addressing improvements in aspects such as tunability, size/mass and insertion loss reduction, flexible and large frequency coverage and power allocation. Measured or projected improvements in each case are identified and the operational benefit derived articulated. Further projected developments are also addressed.