Digital payload with variable high power amplifiers

An apparatus, comprising

• a payload subsystem of a spacecraft, the payload subsystem including a plurality of transmit antenna feeds, a digital channelizer, and a power amplification arrangement including a plurality of power amplifiers, the plurality of power amplifiers including at least one power amplifier having a commandably variable saturated power, the power amplification arrangement having at least one input communicatively coupled with an output of the digital channelizer and at least one output communicatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of transmit antenna feeds;
• wherein
• a processor is configured to control the digital channelizer so as to allocate a commandable amount of bandwidth to each of a plurality of receive and/or transmit beams, and dynamically make an adjustment to the variable saturated power of the at least one power amplifier of the plurality of power amplifiers in the power amplification arrangement;
• wherein the adjustment is tailored to account for a change in operating power of the at least one amplifier resulting from a change in bandwidth allocated by the digital channelizer to an individual beam associated with the at least one power amplifier.

A spacecraft, comprising:

• a payload subsystem that includes a plurality of receive antennas and a plurality of transmit antennas;
• a plurality of low noise amplifiers;
• a plurality of frequency converters;
• a plurality of power amplifiers, including at least one power amplifier having a commandably variable saturated power;
• and
• a digital channelizer, wherein:
• the digital channelizer has inputs that are communicatively coupled with a respective receive antenna;
• each of the plurality of power amplifiers has a respective input communicatively coupled with a respective output of the digital channelizer and each power amplifier has a respective output communicatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of transmit antennas;
• and
• one or more processors are configured to simultaneously control the digital channelizer and the plurality of power amplifiers so as to:
• allocate a commandable amount of satellite uplink bandwidth to each of a plurality of receive beams;
• allocate a commandable amount of satellite downlink bandwidth to each of a plurality of transmit beams;
• and
• dynamically make an adjustment to the variable saturated power, the adjustment being tailored account for a change in operating power of the at least one amplifier resulting from a change in bandwidth allocated by the digital channelizer to an individual beam associated with the at least one power amplifier.