EEE 4283 Radar and Satellite Communication

❖Satellite Communication:

Overview of Satellite System Engineering. Spacecraft,

Introduction to Spacecraft Subsystem. (AOCS), Telemetry,
Tracking and command (TT&C). Spacecraft Antennas, Basic
Antenna Types and Relationships Spacecraft, Antennas in
Practice, Frequency Reuse Equipment Reliability and Space
Qualification, Reliability redundancy. Multiple Access. Earth
station Technology : Earth Station Design, Earth Station
Design for Low System Noise Temperature, Large Earth
Station Antennas. Satellite Television Broadcasting Networks,
VSAT technology.
 Text Books

❑ Satellite Communication- Denis Rody

❑Satellite Communication- D. C. Agarwal

 What is a Satellite?

• Satellite: In astronomical terms, a satellite is

a celestial body that orbits around a planet.
– Example: The moon is a satellite of Earth.
• In aerospace terms, a satellite is a space
vehicle launched by humans and orbits around
Earth or another celestial body.
 What is a Satellite? (Contd.)
• Communications Satellite: It is a microwave
repeater in the sky that consists of a diverse
combination of one or more components including
transmitter, receiver, amplifier, regenerator, filter
onboard computer, multiplexer, demultiplexer,
antenna, waveguide etc.

• A satellite radio repeater is also called transponder.

This is usually a combination of transmitter and
receiver.
 What is a satellite system?
• A satellite system consists of one or more
satellites, a ground-based station to control
the operation of the system, and a user
network earth stations that provides the
interface facilities for the transmission and
reception of terrestrial communications
traffic.
 How a satellite works?
• A satellite stays in orbit because the gravitational
pull of the earth is balanced
by the centripetal force of the revolving
satellite.
• One Earth station transmits the signals to the satellite
at Up link frequency. Up link frequency is the
frequency at which Earth station is communicating
with a satellite.
• The satellite transponder process the signal and
sends it to the second Earth station at another
frequency called downlink frequency.
 Basics: How do Satellites Work
• 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 satellite as a relay station
for their communication
• One Earth Station sends a transmission to the
satellite. This is called a Uplink.
• The satellite Transponder converts the signal and
sends it down to the second earth station. This is
called a Downlink.
 Regions of Space
Space is defined as a place free from obstacles
It can be divided into three regions:

• Air Space -> region below 100 km from earth’s

surface

• Outer Space -> also called cosmic space and

ranges from 100 km up till 42, 000 km. It is
mostly used by communication satellites.

• Deep Space -> Regions beyond 42,000 km fall in

this category
 Active and Passive Satellites
❑ Active satellites are used for linking and also for processing
the signals. The linkage is known as bent pipe technology
where processing like frequency translation, power
amplification etc take place. Active satellites employ
‘Regenerative Technology’ which consists of demodulation,
processing, frequency translation, switching and power
amplification are carried out. Block used for this purpose is
called transponder.

❑ Passive satellites do-not have on-board processing and are

just used to link two stations through space. Low cost - Loss
of power – not useful for communication applications.
To facilitate frequency planning, the world is divided
into three regions:

Region 1: Europe, Africa, what was formerly the Soviet

Union, and Mongolia

Region 2: North and South America and Greenland

Region 3: Asia (excluding region 1 areas), Australia,

and the southwest Pacific
 Basics: How Satellites are used
• Service Types
▪ Fixed Service Satellites (FSS)
• Example: Point to Point Communication
▪ Broadcast Service Satellites (BSS)
• Example: Satellite Television/Radio
• Also called Direct Broadcast Service (DBS).
▪ Mobile Service Satellites (MSS)
• Example: Satellite Phones
• Navigational satellite services
• Meteorological satellite services
 Types of Satellites
• Satellite Orbits
▪ GEO
▪ LEO
▪ MEO
▪ Molniya Orbit
▪ HAPs
• Frequency Bands
 Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)
• These satellites are in orbit 35,863 km above
the earth’s surface along the equator.

• 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.
 GEO (cont.)
• Advantages
▪ A GEO satellite’s distance from earth gives it a
large coverage area, almost a fourth of the earth’s
surface.
▪ GEO satellites have a 24 hour view of a particular
area.
▪ These factors make it ideal for satellite broadcast
and other multipoint applications.
 GEO (cont.)
• Disadvantages
▪ A GEO satellite’s 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
 Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• LEO satellites are much closer to the earth
than GEO satellites, ranging from 500 to 1,500
km above the surface.
• LEO satellites don’t 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
 LEO (cont.)
• Advantages
▪ A LEO satellite’s 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
point to point communication.
▪ A LEO satellite’s smaller area of coverage is less of
a waste of bandwidth.
 LEO (cont.)
• Disadvantages
▪ 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.
 Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
• A MEO satellite is in orbit somewhere between 8,000
km and 18,000 km above the earth’s 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.
 MEO (cont.)
• Advantage
▪ A MEO satellite’s longer duration of visibility and
wider footprint means fewer satellites are needed
in a MEO network than a LEO network.
• Disadvantage
▪ A MEO satellite’s distance gives it a longer time
delay and weaker signal than a LEO satellite,
though not as bad as a GEO satellite.
 Other Orbits
• Molniya Orbit Satellites
▪ Used by Russia for decades.
▪ Molniya Orbit is an elliptical orbit. The satellite
remains in a nearly fixed position relative to earth
for eight hours.
▪ A series of three Molniya satellites can act like a
GEO satellite.
▪ Useful in near polar regions.
 Other Orbits (cont.)
• High Altitude Platform (HAP)
▪ One of the newest ideas in satellite
communication.
▪ A blimp or plane around 20 km above the earth’s
surface is used as a satellite.
▪ HAPs would have very small coverage area, but
would have a comparatively strong signal.
▪ Cheaper to put in position, but would require a lot
of them in a network.
Orbital Types
 Historical Overview
• 1945 → Theorist named Clarke studied that satellite orbiting in
equatorial orbit at radius of approx. 42,000 km would look as if
stationary if moving at a specific speed. 3 satellites at a space of 120
degree apart can cover the whole world. Evolution of the concept of
GEO
1950’s –Putting the pieces together:
􀂄 1956 -Trans-Atlantic cable opened (about 12 telephone channels
per operator).
􀂄 1957 First man-made satellite launched by former USSR
(Sputnik-1, LEO). It was used to identify atmospheric density of
various orbital layers. It provided data about radio signal distribution
in ionosphere.
􀂄 1958 First US satellite launched (SCORE). First voice
communication established via satellite (LEO, lasted 35
days in orbit).
• 1960’s –First satellite communications:

• 􀂄 1960 First passive communication satellite (Large

balloons, Echo I and II).
• 􀂄 1962: First active communication satellite (Telstar
I , MEO).
• 􀂄 1963: First satellite into geostationary (GEO)
orbit (Syncom1, communication failed).
• 􀂄 1964: International Telecomm. Satellite
Organization (INTELSAT) created.
• 􀂄 1965 First successful communications GEO
(Early Bird / INTELSAT 1).
• 1970’s –GEO Applications Development, DBS:

􀂄 1972 First domestic satellite system operational

(Canada).
􀂄 1975 First successful direct broadcast experiment
(USA-India).
􀂄 1977 A plan for direct broadcast satellites (DBS)
assigned by the ITU
􀂄 1979 International Mobile Satellite Organization
(Inmarsat) established.
• 1980’s –GEO Applications Expanded, Mobile:

􀂄 1981 First reusable launch vehicle flight.

􀂄 1982 International maritime communications
made operational.
􀂄 1984 First direct-to-home broadcast system
operational (Japan).
􀂄 1987 Successful trials of land-mobile
communications (Inmarsat).
􀂄 1989-90 Global mobile communication service
extended to land mobile and aeronautical use
(Inmarsat)
• 1990+’s NGSO applications development and GEO
expansion
1990-95:
􀂄 Proposals of non-geostationary (NGSO) systems for
mobile communications.
􀂄 Continuing growth of VSATs around the world.
􀂄 Spectrum allocation for non-GEO systems.
􀂄 Continuing growth of DBS. Direct TV created.
1997:
􀂄 Launch of first batch of LEO for hand-held terminals
(Iridium).
􀂄 Voice-service portables and paging-service pocket
size mobile terminals launched (Inmarsat).
1998-2000:
Mobile LEO systems initiate service and fail afterwards
(Iridium,Globalstar).
Motivation to use the Sky
LNB (LOW NOISE BLOCK DOWN CONVERTER)
A device mounted in the dish, designed to amplify the satellite signals and convert them from a
high frequency to a lower frequency. LNB can be controlled to receive signals with different
polarization. The television signals can then be carried by a double-shielded aerial cable to the
satellite receiver while retaining their high quality. A universal LNB is the present standard
version, which can handle the entire frequency range from 10.7 to 12.75 GHz and receive
signals with both vertical and horizontal polarization.
Demodulator
A satellite receiver circuit which extracts or "demodulates" the "wanted "signals from the
received carrier.
Decoder
A box which, normally together with a viewing card, makes it possible to view encrypted
transmissions. If the transmissions are digital, the decoder is usually integrated in the receiver.
Modulation
The process of manipulating the frequency or amplitude of a carrier in relation to an incoming
video, voice or data signal.
Modulator
A device which modulates a carrier. Modulators are found as components in broadcasting
transmitters and in satellite transponders. Modulators are also used by CATV companies to
place a baseband video television signal onto a desired VHF or UHF channel. Home video tape
recorders also have built-in modulators which enable the recorded video information to be
played back using a television receiver tuned to VHF channel 3 or 4.
A communication Satellite is essentially a microwave
link repeater. It receives the energy beamed up at it by
an earth station and amplifies and returns it to earth at
a frequency of about 2 gigahertz away; this prevents
interference between the uplink and the downlink.
 Satellite

Earth Station Earth Station

Terrestrial System Terrestrial System

User User

General structure of a satellite communication system

 Frequency Bands
• Different kinds of satellites use different frequency
bands.
▪ L–Band: 1 to 2 GHz, used by MSS
▪ S-Band: 2 to 4 GHz, used by MSS, NASA, deep space
research
▪ C-Band: 4 to 8 GHz, used by FSS
▪ X-Band: 8 to 12.5 GHz, used by FSS and in terrestrial
imaging, ex: military and meteorological satellites
▪ Ku-Band: 12.5 to 18 GHz: used by FSS and BSS (DBS)
▪ K-Band: 18 to 26.5 GHz: used by FSS and BSS
▪ Ka-Band: 26.5 to 40 GHz: used by FSS
The use of such high frequencies in Satellite transmission
is because of the large distance of Satellite from the
earth. There are some more reasons as well. They are :

1. For low frequency the receiving antenna on the

Satellite is to be made very large, which is not
possible.

2. The used frequency should be able to cross the

ionosphere.

3. The used frequency should not disturb the used

frequencies on earth.