Mitsubishi Electric Awarded Subsidy to Develop Full Digital Payload under JAXA’s Space Strategy Fund

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has been awarded a subsidy for the Development of Internationally Competitive Full Digital Payload under the Development and Demonstration of Technologies for Internationally Competitive Communications Payloads, which is being financed by the 2nd phase of the Space Strategy Fund managed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Mitsubishi Electric was previously selected as a representative organization for the project. Moving forward, the company aims to develop a full digital payload that offers communication flexibility and high security.

In recent years, there has been a growing demand for satellites whose functions and performance can be modified after launch to meet user requirements. Geostationary communication satellites, which are noted for their excellent wide-area coverage, broadcasting capabilities and disaster resilience, also offer digital communications payloads that can respond to fluctuations in satellite communication demand depending on the region and time of day by utilizing digital signal processing technology and rewriting software. Currently, these payloads are primarily developed and manufactured in Europe and the United States.