Radiating payload testing in the large compact payload test range at Estec

As satellites and their payloads become more complex, the means by which the in-orbit performance can be verified on ground also become more complex. This is particularly true for radiating payloads where the satellite itself is a part of a complex system comprising ground, in-orbit and ground/sea/air segments. The paper describes the Estec compact payload test range which has been developed to allow RF performance measurements (including EMC) for payloads including multibeam communications, reconfigurable antennas, phase arrays and synthetic aperture radars (SAR)