In this extended commercial and technical white paper we explore in particular the performance tradeoffs, and note 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 raft of systems launched must balance tradeoffs that affect system performance, user experience and cost of service, which are extensively modelled and reviewed.  This report highlights that the choices available in terms of geographic footprint, performance and cost are many, so it is increasingly important for users to carefully consider their actual use case requirements.

We would also like to thank Prof. Michel Bousquet, of Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace, Toulouse, and Avanti Communications  for their collaboration and support in the development of this paper.

In addition to this detailed whitepaper, an executive summary version is

available.