Satellite Communication

Spacecraft subsystems

Spacecraft

Spacecraft subsystem overview

Satellite Subsystems(Cont..)

1.

Power system
Solar cells
Used by transmitter and other electrical systems
Communication sub system
Major part
Small weight and volume
Composed of one or more antennas which receive and
transmit over wide bandwidths at microwave frequencies
Receiver transmitter unit is known as transponder
2 types
linear or bend pipe transponder
Amplifies the received signal and retransmits it at a usually
different lower frequency

2.

Base band processing transponder

Used only with digital signal. Converts the received signal to
baseband, processes it retransmits

Satellite antennas
Most are designed to operate in a
single band

Such as Cu band or K band

4 or more antennas can be used

for multiple frequencies

AOCS (Attitude & orbit

control system)

AOCS (Attitude & orbit

control system)

At GEO orbit altitude the moons

gravitational force is about twice as
strong as the suns
Moon orbit is inclined to the
equatorial plane by approximately 5
degrees
The plane of the earths rotation
around the sun is inclined to 23
degrees to the equatorial plane

Net gravitational force on the satellite tends to change

the inclination of the satellite.
Approximately 0.86 degrees per year from the
equatorial plane.
LEO satellites are less effected by this gravitational pull
from the sun and moon
At the equator there are bulges of about 65m at
longitudes 162 degress East and 348 degrees East.
Satellite is accelerated towards one of two stable points
on GEO orbit at the longitude of 75 degree E and 252
degrees E

Attitude and Orbit Control

System(AOCS)
Attitude and orbit change
reasons

Gravitational field of Sun and Moon

Irregularities in Earths gravitational field

Solar pressure from Sun

Variations in Earths magnetic field

Solar pressure and Earths magnetic field can

generate eddy currents in satellites metallic
structure
The Earth is not a perfect sphere
Satellite is accelerated towards the two stable
points
To maintain accuracy of satellite position, it is
accelerated in between by using thrusters, which
can be controlled from Earth via TTC&M

Fine positioning

Two ways to make the satellite stable

in orbit when it is weightless.

Satellite can be rotated at a rate between

30 and 100 rpm to create gyroscopic force
that provides stability (spinner satellites)
Satellites can be stabilized by one or more
momentum wheels, called three-axis
stabilized satellites.

Attitude Control System

1.

Two ways to make a satellite stable in its

orbit
Create a gyroscopic force by rotating the
body of the satellite between 30 to 100 rpm

Gyroscope a wheel mounted such that the

force gravity acts on centre of mass, and no
torque is acting on the wheel. Without torque
acting on the wheel, without torque to change
its direction of motion, a spinning gyroscopic
wheel will remain pointing in same direction
Gyroscopic force provides stability of spin axis
and keeps it pointing in the same direction.
Such satellites are known as spinners
Eg: Hughes (Boeing 376)

2. The satellite can be stabilized by one or more

momentum wheels. This is called 3 axis
stabilized satellite.

Eg: Hughes (Boeing) 701

The momentum wheel is usually a solid metal
disk driven by an electric motor
Either there must be one momentum wheel for
each of the three axes , or a single momentum
wheel can be mounted on gimbals and rotated to
provide a rotational force about any of the 3 axes
As per principle of angular momentum,
increasing the speed of the momentum wheel
causes the satellite to precess in the opposite
direction

Orbit insertion &

Maintenance- GEO

Two types of motors used on satellites.

Traditional bipropellant thruster

Arc jets or ion thrusters

Bipropellants used are Mono-methyl Hydrazine and

Nitrogen tetraoxide
They are hypogolic, i.e., they ignite simultaneously on
contact without any catalyst or heater
High voltage is used to accelerate ions

Fuel stored in GEO satellite is used for

two purposes
Apogee kick motor (AKM) that injects the satellite into
its final orbit
Maintain the satellite in that orbit over its lifetime.

Definition of axis

TTC&M

Telemetry Modes

Tracking

Determines the current orbit of the

satellite

Command

Typical TTC&M
system

Power systems-1

Power systems-2

Power systems-3

Communication
subsystems

Repeaters and
Transponders

Types of
payloads/Transponders

Transponders

In Transponders, two amplifiers are

used is series so that though one fails
other will make up
Output back off the degree to which
output backup power is reduced
below its peak output to reduce
intermodulation products
In FDMA systems, back off is 2 to 7 db

Output amplifier is usually a solid state

power amplifier
Travelling wave tube amplifier is used for
higher output powers
M by N redundancy providing M
amplifiers instead of N in a ring
Eg: 16 by 10 redundancy
Transponder lasts till the last time of
satellite..

Basic Transponder
elements

On Board Processors

Methods to conserve uplink bandwidth

Use different modulation techniques on uplink

and downlink
Provide a baseband processor on the satellite

On board processing is advantageous to

switch between uplink(eg. MF-TDMA) and
downlink(eg. TDM) so that small earth
stations may access each other via directly
via the satellite
The processor can provide data storage and
also perform error correction independently

Spacecraft Antennas

Wire antennas: monopoles and

dipoles
Horn antennas
Reflector antenna
Array antenna

Antenna Theory

Wire antennas

Used primarily at VHF and UHF to

provide communications for TTC&M
systems
Omnidirectional coverage

Horn antennas:

Used at microwave frequencies when

relatively wide beams are required, as
for global coverage
A flared section of waveguide
provides an aperture several
wavelengths wide
Also provides a good match between
the waveguide impedance and free
space
Horns are used as feeds for reflectors
either singly or in clusters

Reflector antennas:

Usually illuminated by one or more

horns
Provide a larger aperture than
provided with a horn alone
Horns and reflectors are examples of
aperture antennas that launch a
wave into free space from a
waveguide

Important
terms
Antenna pattern:

Gain:

Plot of field strength in the far field of

the antenna when the antenna is
driven by the transmitter
Usually measured in decibels (db)
Measure of antennas capability to
direct energy in one direction rather
than all around

Reciprocity:

Antenna has same gain and pattern

at a given frequency whether
receiving or transmitting

To provide a separate beam for each earth station would also require one
antenna feed per earth station if multiple-feed antenna with a single reflector
were used. A compromise between one beam per station and one beam for all
stations has been used in many satellites by using zone coverage beams

Footprint

Spot Beams

Zonal Coverage

Small geographic area

Less than one-third of
the earths surface

Earth Coverage

One-third of the earths

surface with
approximate antenna
beam width of 17
degrees.(hemi beams)

Space Qualification

Outer space at geostationary distances is a

harsh environment
Total vacuum; Sun irradiates the satellite with
1.4 K W heat and light on each square meter
When surfaces are in shadow, heat is lost to
the infinite sink of space and surface temp
falls to zero
Electronic devices cant withstand such temp
Temperature must stay b/n 0 to 75 degree
celcius
Quality control or quality assurance

Quality control or quality

assurance
Each satellite component is tested

individually to ensure that it meets the

specification
Testing in 3 parts

Mechanical model contains structural and

mechanical parts
Ensures all moving parts operate correctly in
vaccum
Thermal modelEntire satellite will be
modelled in a chamber- shake and brake test
Electrical modelchecks all electronic parts

Space qualification makes the GEO

satellites expensive
Many electronic and mechanical
components have less life time

Hence back up or redundant unit will

be provided
If one unit fails, back up device
automatically takes charge

Reliability
Familiar to automobile users.
Chances for failure in starting and ending years is more
compared to others

Redundancy

Next lecture earth station

technology

Reference : Satellite
communications engineering ,
Wilburt L Pritchard Robert A Nelson
and Henri G Suyderhoud