LEO system specifications demand the maximum bandwidth per dollar to justify the billions of dollars in business investments. Left with no other viable alternative, technology that has yet to be invented is drafted. More pins and gates per ASIC and higher clock frequencies than have ever been used before in radiation-hardened technology are just samples. Although confidential and proprietary information will not be disclosed, many LEO satellite payload concepts are general enough to be of interest. Because almost all the parameters are inter-related, the convergence of business and engineering is complicated.
Customers drive the coverage zones needed.
Global coverage requires more satellite orbital planes and space vehicles. N latitude, potentially decreasing the number of space vehicles. A large percentage of the LEO business investment is determined by the number of space vehicles needed. The cost of both the vehicles and the launch can be astronomical. Two more factors affecting the space vehicle count are incidence angle and altitude.