The digital payload for next generation high throughput communication satellites is expected to reduce the operators' CAPEX and OPEX. Photonic technologies, which have a great affinity with digital signals, have been studied in order to increase the data throughput and reduce the mass of the satellites. Here, we propose an optical time division multiplexing system for routing the signals in the digital channelizer and have conducted a feasibility study on the transmission efficiency. This system has the potential to reduce the cost, mass, and power consumption, and to improve reliability by cleaning up the switches used for routing the signals within the satellites.

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Optical remote sensing has been greatly expanded by the construction of satellite constellations and improving the performance of the optical sensors. As the data throughput of earth observation satellites increases, photonic technology is expected to be used for the interconnections within the payload in order to reduce its overall size, mass, and power consumption, and to improve its immunity to EMI. Here, we propose an optical time division multiplexing technology for N + 1 redundancy in the payload, which is able to improve reliability by reducing the number of active components in the satellites, and present a feasibility study on its transmission efficiency.