Patent ID: 6844844

Claim:
A system comprising a radio-frequency antenna placed in an orbit around the earth, and illuminating means for transmitting and/or receiving likewise orbiting around the earth located on at least a satellite separate from the one bearing the antenna, the antenna being located in the illuminating field of said means, characterized in that the antenna is a transmitting and/or receiving radiofrequency antenna formed of a mesh of tiles, this antenna comprising phase-shifting and/or delaying means connected to these tiles, the signals received by the tiles passing through the phase-shifting and/or delaying means before being retransmitted on said tiles, these phase-shifting and or delaying means being capable of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several channels transmitted by the illuminating means to send them back to the earth along one or several beams and/or of diverting the radio-frequency signals corresponding to one or several beams transmitted from the earth to send them back to the illuminating means along one or several channels.