Patent ID: 7831202

Claim:
A satellite communications system comprising: a plurality of feeder link antennas that are substantially co-located therebetween and are connected to a same gateway processor; a primary satellite that is configured to receive information from radioterminals through a plurality of return service links, to communicate a first portion of the information over at least one return feeder link to a first one of the feeder link antennas, and to communicate another second portion of the information over at least one inter-satellite link; and an auxiliary satellite that is spaced apart from the primary satellite, and configured to receive the second portion of the information from the primary satellite via the at least one inter-satellite link, and to communicate the second portion of the information over at least one return feeder link to a second one of the feeder link antennas, wherein the primary satellite is further configured to distribute an aggregate of signal spectrum associated with the return service links across a combination of signal spectrum of the at least one return feeder link to the first one of the feeder link antennas and, via the inter-satellite link, signal spectrum of the at least one return feeder link from the auxiliary satellite to the second one of the feeder link antennas.