Methods and systems providing adaptive feeder links for ground based beam forming and related systems and satellites

A method of operating a communications system including a satellite having a plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements, the method comprising:

• during usage of a first portion of service link spectrum, providing a first feeder link between a first gateway and the satellite and communicating signals for first and second feed elements of the plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements over the first feeder link only;
• and
• during usage of a second portion of service link spectrum that is larger than the first portion of service link spectrum, providing the first feeder link between the first gateway and the satellite, providing a second feeder link between a second gateway and the satellite, communicating signals for the first feed element over the first and second feeder links, and communicating signals for the second feed element over the first and second feeder links.

A method of operating a communications system including a satellite having a plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements, the method comprising:

• during usage of a first portion of service link spectrum, providing a feeder link between a gateway and the satellite and communicating signals for first and second feed elements of the plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements between the gateway and the satellite over the feeder link, wherein the signals for the first and second feed elements are separated by a first frequency offset in a feeder link frequency band that is used by the feeder link;
• and
• during usage of a second portion of service link spectrum that is larger than the first portion of service link spectrum, providing the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite and communicating signals for first and second feed elements of the plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements between the gateway and the satellite over the feeder link, wherein the signals for the first and second feed elements are separated by a second frequency offset in the feeder link frequency band, wherein the first and second frequency offsets are different.

A satellite for a communications system, the satellite comprising:

• at least one antenna including a plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements, the at least one antenna providing communications service links between the satellite and radioterminals using the plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements;
• and
• a translator configured to couple signals of first and second feed elements of the plurality of service link antenna feed elements to a first satellite gateway only during usage of a first portion of service link spectrum, and to couple signals of the first feed element to the first satellite gateway and to a second satellite gateway and to couple signals of the second feed element to the first satellite gateway and to the second satellite gateway during usage of a second portion of service link spectrum that is larger than the first portion of service link spectrum.

A space-based communications system comprising:

• a gateway configured to provide a feeder link to a satellite and to communicate signals for first and second feed elements of a plurality of satellite service link antenna feed elements of the satellite over the feeder link during usage of a first portion of service link spectrum;
• and to communicate signals for the first and second feed elements over the feeder link during usage of a second portion of service link spectrum that is larger than the first portion of service link spectrum;
• wherein the signals for the first and second feed elements during usage of the first portion of service link spectrum are separated by a first frequency offset in a feeder link frequency band and wherein the signals for the first and second feed elements during usage of the second portion of service link spectrum are separated by a second frequency offset, in the feeder link frequency band, that is different than the first frequency offset.