Module 1 INTRODUCTION

Satellite Communication Systems

THE ORIGIN OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (SCS)

1. Objective behind their development :

To achieve ever increasing ranges (distances) High data transmission capacity & large bandwidth Lowest possible cost & maintenance Advances in missiles & microwaves (RADAR) Expertise from combined use of these techniques Research in communications & space technologies

2. Much development after World War II :

THE BIRTH OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (SCS)

Postulated by Arthur C. Clarke in 1945 :

Satellite in the circular equatorial orbit at 42,242 km away has angular velocity equal to that of the earth Hence by remaining always above the same spot on the ground, relaying signals from most hemisphere Three satellites spaced 120 apart would cover the whole world with some overlapping regions Electrical power required for satellite operation can be obtained from suns radiations (solar energy)

THE BIRTH OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (SCS)

satellite 1

satellite 2

orbit at 42,242 km above earths surface

120 angular separation between the satellites

satellite 3

EVOLUTION OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (SCS) I

1945 Postulated by Arthur C. Clarke (1917 2008) 1957 Russia (then USSR) launches Sputnik I, the first ever artificial satellite launched in space 1958 SCORE (signal communication by orbiting relay equipment) launched by the USA 1960 First ever communication satellites ECHO I & ECHO II launched as floating balloons (passive) 1962 Bell Laboratories launched the TELSTAR I 1963 First geostationary satellite named SYNCOM

EVOLUTION OF SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS (SCS) II

1965 First communication satellite INTELSAT I was launched with two 25 MHz transponders 1970s About 14 INTELSAT series 3 & 4 satellites were launched for climate & weather forecasting 1975 India launches Aryabhatta, its first satellite 1980s About 15 INTELSAT series 5 & 6 launched for TV transmission, multiple access, weather etc. 1990s INTELSAT series 7 & 8 launched in Ku band 2000s INTELSAT series 9 launched in the Ka band

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

uplink frequency downlink frequency

EARTH STATION TERRESTRIAL NETWORK

COMMUNICATION SATELLITE

EARTH STATION TERRESTRIAL NETWORK USER

USER

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

Contains the following main elements :

User at Source & Destination (Tx & Rx) Terrestrial Network at Transmitter & Receiver Earth Station at Transmitter & Receiver Transmitting & Receiving Antenna Communications Satellite Uplink & Downlink Frequencies

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

1. User at source & destination (Tx & Rx) :

Source & destination terminals on the earth Transmits & receives the message/data signals Connected to earth station by terrestrial network Modulates/demodulates at lower frequencies (MHz) Belongs to the ground segment category Data/information can include these types :-

text/symbols/words speech/sound/audio pictures/images/video

Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

2. Terrestrial network at Tx & Rx:

Intermediate link between the user & earth station Relays data from user to satellite & vice versa Wired/wireless network on the ground (terrestrial) Wired links may include twisted pair, coaxial & OFC Wireless links are short/medium distance RF links Switching/multiplexing network or a dedicated one

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

3. Earth Station at Tx & Rx:

Intermediate link between the user & the satellite Relays data from user to satellite & vice versa Modulates/demodulates at high frequencies (GHz) Contains highly directional dish/parabolic antennas Works with uplink & downlink frequencies (6/4 GHz) Modulated signal amplified by high power amplifier Receiver earth station uses low noise amplifier

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

4. Transmitting & Receiving Antenna :

Unidirectional antennas having high directive gain Relays signals to & from the satellite & earth station Transmits uplink frequencies from the earth station Receives downlink frequencies from the satellite Basically parabolic dish reflector antennas used

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types of parabolic reflectors

Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

5. Communication Satellite :

Spacecraft in placed in an orbit above the earth Relays signals between two terrestrial users (earth) Located in the space segment category Satellite consists of the payload & the platform Payload Tx & Rx antenna with electronic systems useful for data communication & transmission Platform consists of all individual subsystems that allow the payload to operate efficiently

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) BLOCK DIAGRAM

6. Uplink & Downlink Frequencies :

Frequencies over which the communication occurs Uplink from the earth station to the satellite Downlink from the satellite to the earth station 6/4 GHz (C band) for commercial broadcasting 8/7 GHz (X band) for government use (special) 14/12 GHz (Ku band) in current operational use 30/20 GHz (Ka band) for high B/W & low interference

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) CONFIGURATION

SPACE SEGMENT 1. SPACE SEGMENT Intersatellite links 2. GROUND SEGMENT Interface Station CONTROL User Station SEGMENT Service Station
to & from the 3. service provider

GROUND SEGMENT Terrestrial Network

CONTROL SEGMENT TT&C Station Network Management

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user terminal

user terminal

Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (SCS) CONFIGURATION

It consists of the following segments :

The Space Segment contains one or several active & spare satellites organized into a constellation The Control Segment all ground facilities for the control & monitoring of satellites, called as TT&C (telemetry, tracking & command) stations & for the management of traffic & on board resources The Ground Segment consisting of all the traffic earth stations viz. interface, user & service station

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

Satellite System Configuration 1. THE SPACE SEGMENT

Satellite 1

intersatellite communication (constellation)

Satellite 2

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Satellite 3

Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

Satellite System Configuration 1. THE SPACE SEGMENT

The space segment encompasses : Payload

Transparent & Regenerative Platform Different Subsystems Satellite Coverage Area (Footprint)
Beam Coverage Area Coverage Instantaneous Long Term

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Single Beam

Multiple Beam

Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

Satellite System Configuration 1. THE SPACE SEGMENT

Contains one or more active & spare type satellites arranged together in a constellation Satellite consists of payload & platform (basic type) Payload Tx & Rx antennas & all electronic systems or equipments which supports transmission Platform All the possible satellite subsystems that allow the satellite to operate efficiently Two main type of payload viz. Transparent Payload & Regenerative Payload

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

Different Types of Payload (a) TRANSPARENT PAYLOAD

Also called as bent type payload, where the carrier power is amplified & frequency is downconverted Power gain is typically 100 130 dB & is required to raise power level from few pW to few watts (W) Frequency conversion required to increase isolation between receiving input & transmitting output Overall payload bandwidth is split into several type of sub-bands, carriers in each sub-band amplified by a dedicated power amplifier, called transponders

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

Different Types of Payload (a) TRANSPARENT PAYLOAD (contd.)

Bandwidth splitting is achieved using a set of filters called the input multiplexers (IMUX) The amplified carriers are then later recombined in the output multiplexers (OMUX) Transparent payload belongs to a single beam type of satellite where Tx & Rx antenna have one beam For multiple beam antennas, routing of carriers from one upbeam to given downbeam achieved through transponder hopping

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

Different Types of Payload (b) REGENERATIVE PAYLOAD

In multiple beam regenerative payload all the uplink carrier frequencies are demodulated Baseband signal availability allows onboard signal processing & information routing through OBS@B Frequency conversion is achieved by modulating on board generated carriers at the downlink frequency The modulated carriers are amplified & delivered to the destination downbeam

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

1. The Space Segment SATELLITE BEAM COVERAGE

In satellite single beam coverage, a small spot or the region of the earths surface is covered by the beam The same satellite can also illuminate multiple spots or regions on the earths surface in multi-beam Instantaneous system coverage consists of the total at a given time of coverage areas of all the satellites Long term coverage refers to the areas of the earth scanned over time by the antennas of the satellites

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

1. The Space Segment THE PLATFORM SUBSYSTEMS

Platform consists of following subsystems : Attitude

& Orbit Control Subsystem (AOCS) Propulsion & Thrust System Electrical Power Supply Subsystem Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TT&C) Thermal Control Subsystem Structural Subsystem

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

Satellite System Configuration 2. THE GROUND SEGMENT

Interface Stations known as gateways, which are used to interconnect the space segment to existing terrestrial network & hence user terminals Service Stations such as hub or feeder stations for collecting or distributing information from & to user stations via the space segment User Stations like handsets, portables & mobile stations with very small aperture terminals (VSAT) allowing direct access to the space segment

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi

2. The Ground Segment GENERAL BLOCK DIAGRAM

uplink frequency GROUND SEGMENT INTERFACE STATION USER STATION SERVICE STATION downlink frequency

Gateway terrestrial network

VSAT Handset user terminal

Hub OR Feeder

to & from service provider

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2. The Ground Segment EARTH STATION BLOCK DIAGRAM

POWER SUPPLY TELEMETRY & TRACKING HIGH POWER AMPLIFIER LOW NOISE AMPLIFIER CONTROL & MONITORING IF MODULATOR IF DEMODULATOR FROM USERS

DIPLEXER

baseband signals
TO USERS

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Satellite Communication Systems (SCS) by Jayen Modi