This white paper explores the advancements in satellite communications technology, particularly in High Throughput Satellites (HTS) systems. These systems have led to a significant increase in throughput and have been launched by over a dozen companies in recent years. The paper highlights the diverse user requirements and use cases for these systems, ranging from connecting the unconnected to providing secure and resilient communications to various industries and end-users. The paper also discusses the performance trade-offs and the growing importance of higher frequency systems, given the significant spectrum allocations and high performance in key deployment areas. HTS systems offer a step change in bandwidth delivery to support a host of diverse customer requirements. The paper concludes that the raft of systems launched must balance trade-offs that affect system performance and cost.
