AT77.

15 Satellite Communication 3(3-0) Lecture-1

Dr. Taimoor Khan
Visiting Assistant Professor
Telecommunication Field of Study, School of Engineering and Technology,
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Bangkok, Thailand
Email: taimoor@ait.asia
&
Assistant Professor
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
National Institute of Technology Silchar, India
(An Institute of National Importance under Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India)

Email: taimoor@ece.nits.ac.in; ktaimoor@gmail.com

Contents:
Communication and Communication Systems/Engineering
Mode of Communication: Point-to-Point and Broadcasting
Channels for Communication: Wired/Line and Wireless/Radio
Electromagnetic (EM) Wave; An overview
EM Wave Generation
EM Wave Propagation (Ground, Sky and Space)
Satellite Communication: An overview

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Communication and Communication System/Engineering

Communication is an exchange of ideas, thoughts, sentiments, etc. among human beings.
Noise

Speaker
Voice
(Non-electrical form)

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Air as Channel

Listener
Voice
(Non-electrical form)

Noise

Information
Source
Electrical/Non-electrical

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Channel

Information
Sink
Electrical/Non-electrical

Information
source

Transmitter
(Tx)

Noise

Channel

Receiver
(Rx)

Information
sink

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Mode of Communication: Point-to-Point

Tx

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Channel

Rx

Mode of Communication: Broadcasting

Rx-1

Tx

Channel

Rx-2

Rx-n
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Type of Channel:
Wired/Line (Telephone Line) and
Wireless/Radio (Mobile Phone)

Channel

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Electromagnetic (EM) Waves and Generation

Electromagnetic waves are produced when a charge undergoes acceleration.
If an ac voltage is applied to an antenna, the charges are accelerated up and down
and finally radiate EM waves.

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The radiated EM waves have certain properties:

EM waves all travel at the speed of light c.
c= 3 108 m/s
The E and H fields are perpendicular to each other.
The E and H fields are in phase (both reach a maximum and minimum at the
same time).
The E and H fields are perpendicular to the direction of travel (transverse waves).

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Modes for EM Wave Propagation: Ground Wave Propagation

Follows contour of the earth.

Can Propagate considerable distances.

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Modes for EM Wave Propagation: Sky Wave Propagation

Signal reflected from ionized layer of atmosphere back down to earth.

Signal can travel a number of hops, back and forth between ionosphere and earths surface.

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Modes for EM Wave Propagation: Line-of-Sight Propagation

Transmitting and receiving antennas must be within line of sight

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Satellite Communication

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Satellite Communication
Two Stations on Earth want to communicate through radio broadcast but are too
far away to use conventional means..?
The two stations can use a relay station somewhere in the orbit for their
communication
One Earth Station sends a transmission to this relay satellite. This is called a
Uplink.
The relay station receive the signal from the earth station and sends it down to the
second earth station. This is called a Downlink.

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 Communications satellite is an artificial station in space which operates as a radio

relay
Radio waves travel in straight lines from earth station to relay station
Repeater is needed to convey signals very long distances
Satellites are important in: voice communications, video & radio transmission,
navigation (GPS), remote sensing (maps, weather satellites) etc.
]]]]]

A majority of communication satellites are in geostationary earth orbit at an

altitude of 36000 km

Satellite systems operate in the microwave and millimeter wave frequency

bands

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Advantages of Satellite Communication

The coverage area of a satellite greatly exceeds that of a terrestrial system.
Transmission cost of a satellite is independent of the distance from the center
of the coverage area.
Satellite-to-Satellite communication is very precise.
Higher Bandwidths are available for use.

Disadvantages of Satellite Communication

Launching satellites into orbit is costly.
There is a larger propagation delay in satellite communication than in terrestrial
communication.

Service Provided by Satellite Communication

Fixed Service Satellites (FSS)
Example: Point-to-Point Communication
Broadcast Service Satellites (BSS). Also called Direct Broadcast Service
(DBS)
Example: Satellite Television/Radio
Mobile Service Satellites (MSS)
Example: Satellite Phones

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FSS Fixed Satellite Service

MSS Mobile Satellite Service

Earth Station = Satellite Communication Station (air, ground or sea, fixed or mobile).

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Types of Satellites
According to Satellite Orbits
Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) Satellites
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Satellites
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites
According to Frequency Bands

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Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)

Objects in Geostationary orbit revolve around the earth at the same speed as the
earth rotates. This means GEO satellites remain in the same position relative to the
surface of earth.
These satellites are in orbit around 36000 km above the earths surface.

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Advantages of GEO Satellites:

A GEO satellites distance from earth gives it a large coverage area, almost a
fourth of the earths surface.
GEO satellites have a 24 hour view of a particular area.
These factors make it ideal for satellite broadcast and other multipoint
applications.

Disadvantages of GEO Satellites:

A GEO satellites distance also cause it to have both a comparatively weak
signal and a time delay in the signal, which is bad for point-to-point
communication.
GEO satellites, centered above the equator, have difficulty broadcasting signals
to near polar regions
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Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites

LEO satellites are much closer to the earth than GEO satellites, ranging from 500
to 1,500 km above the surface (roughly).
LEO satellites dont stay in fixed position relative to the surface, and are only
visible for 15 to 20 minutes each pass.
A network of LEO satellites is necessary for LEO satellites to be useful.

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Advantages of LEO Satellites:

A LEO satellites proximity to earth compared to a GEO satellite gives it a
better signal strength and less of a time delay, which makes it better for pointto-point communication.
A LEO satellites smaller area of coverage is less of a waste of bandwidth.

Disadvantages of LEO Satellites:

A network of LEO satellites is needed, which can be costly
LEO satellites have to compensate for Doppler shifts cause by their relative
movement.

Atmospheric drag effects LEO satellites, causing gradual orbital deterioration.

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Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Satellites

A MEO satellite is in orbit somewhere between 8,000 km and 18,000 km above
the earths surface.
MEO satellites are similar to LEO satellites in functionality.
MEO satellites are visible for much longer periods of time than LEO satellites,
usually between 2 to 8 hours.
MEO satellites have a larger coverage area than LEO satellites.

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 Advantage of MEO
A MEO satellites longer duration of visibility and wider footprint means fewer satellites are
needed in a MEO network than a LEO network.

Disadvantage of MEO
A MEO satellites distance gives it a longer time delay and weaker signal than a LEO
satellite, though not as bad as a GEO satellite.

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Summarizing Satellite Orbits

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GEO

36,000 km

MEO

5,000 15,000 km

LEO

500 -1000 km

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According to Frequency Bands

LBand1 to 2 GHz: used by MSS
S-Band2 to 4 GHz: used by MSS, NASA, deep space research
C-Band4 to 8 GHz: used by FSS
X-Band8 to 12.5 GHz: used by FSS and in terrestrial imaging

Ku-Band12.5 to 18 GHz: used by FSS and BSS (DBS)

K-Band18 to 26.5 GHz: used by FSS and BSS
Ka-Band26.5 to 40 GHz: used by FSS

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Syllabus Contents:
AT 77.15 Satellite Communication 3(3-0)
Introduction to Satellite Communications; Orbital Aspects of Earth Satellites; Satellite Link
Design; Propagation on Satellite-Earth Paths and Its Influence on Link Design; Modulation,
Multiplexing and Multiple Access Techniques in Satellite Communications; Satellite
Networking ; Spacecraft and Earth Station Technology; Types of Satellite Networks;
Performance and Reliability of Satellite Communications.

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Detailed Description:
I

Introduction to Satellite Communications

1. Origin, History, Current Technology State and Overview of Satellite System Engineering

II Orbital Aspects of Earth Satellites

1. Orbital Mechanics and Orbital Elements
2. Azimuth and Elevation, Coverage Angle and Slant Range
3. Placement of a Satellite in a Geostationary Orbit

III Satellite Link Design

1. Basic Radio Transmission Theory
2. System Noise Temperature and G/T Ratio
3. Uplink and Downlink Design
4. Interference Analysis
5. Carrier-to-Noise plus Interference Ratio
6. Interference to and from Adjacent Satellite Systems
7. Terrestrial Interference
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Cross-polarization Interference

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9. Intermodulation Interference
10. Design of Satellite Links for Specified Carrier-to-Noise plus Interference Ratio
11. Digital Satellite Link
IV Propagation on Satellite-Earth Paths and Its Influence on Link Design
1. Absorbitive Attenuation Noise by Atmospheric Gases
2. Rain Attenuation, Noise due to Rain, Rain Depolarization
3. Tropospheric Multipath and Scintillation Effects
V Modulation, Multiplexing and Multiple Access Techniques in Satellite Communications
1. Classification of Different Analog and Digital Modulation Schemes as Used in Satellite
Communications and their Performance
2. Band-Limited Nonlinear Satellite Channel
3. Digital Modulation with Error-Correction Coding
4. Different Multiple and Multiple Access Techniques as Used in Satellite Communication
VI Satellite Networking
1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Multibeam Satellites
2. Interconnection by Transponder Hopping
3. Interconnection by On-board Switching
4. Interconnection by Beam Scanning

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5. On-Board Processing
6. Intersatellite Links
VII Spacecraft and Earth Station Technology
1. Spacecraft Subsystems, Description of Communication Subsystems
2. Types of Earth Stations and Design
3. Types of Antennas in Satellite Communications
4. Small Earth Station Antennas
VIII Types of Satellite Networks
1. Fixed Point Satellite Network, INTELSAT
2. Mobile Satellite Network, INMARSAT
3. Low Earth Orbit and Medium Earth Orbit Satellite Systems
4. Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Network
5. Direct Broadcast Satellite Systems
IX Performance and Reliability of Satellite Communications
1. General Comments on Satellite Communication System Performance
2. Satellite System Reliability
3. Satellite System Availability
4. Sub-systems Reliability

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Study Material: Lecture Notes

Reference Books:
1. T. Ha:
Digital Satellite Communications, McGraw-Hill, 1990
2. G. Maral, M. Bousquet:
Satellite Communications Systems, John Willey and Sons, Fourth Edition, 2003.
3. T. Pratt, C.W. Bostian:
Satellite Communications, John Wiley and Sons, 1986.

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Questions
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