Satellite Communication

Bilal Salman Taha

 Introduccion
 Satellite Orbits
 Satellite Communication Systems
 Satellite Subsystem
 Ground Station
 Satellite Application
  Introduction to Satellite Communication

 A satellite is a physical object that orbits, or rotates about, some celestial

body.

 Satellites occur in nature, and our own solar system is a perfect example.

 Satellites are launched and orbited for a variety of purposes, The most
common application is communication in which the satellite is used as a
repeater.
Introduction to Satellite Communication
Introduction to Satellite Communication
  Satellite orbits
Classification of orbits:
Satellite Orbits
 Satellite orbits
Satellite orbits are also classified based on their heights
above the earth:

• Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)

• Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
• Molniya Orbit
• High-Altitude Platform Orbit
Satellite Orbits
 Satellite orbits

Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)

 These satellites are in orbit 35,786 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.
 Satellite orbits
Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)

 One of these can cover 1/3 of the earth.

 Completes a trip around world in 24 hours hence stationary.
 Satellite orbits
Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)
 Satellite orbits
Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO)
 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.
 Minimal doppler shift.
 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 for broadcasting
signals to near polar regions.
 Launching of satellites to orbit are complex and expensive.
 Satellite orbits
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.

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
 Satellite orbits
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
The Iridium system has 66 satellites in six LEO orbits, each at
an altitude of 750 km.

Iridium is designed to provide direct worldwide voice and data

communication using handheld terminals, a service similar to
cellular telephony but on a global scale
 Satellite orbits
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

 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.
 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.
 Satellite orbits
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.

 Satellite orbits
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)

 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.
 Satellite orbits
Molniya Orbit

 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.
 Satellite orbits
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.

Blimp Satellite
Blimp Satellite
 Satellite Communication Systems
 Transmitting Station

 The transmitting station sends the information to the satellite, which

in turn retransmits it to the receiving stations.

 If a transmitting station cannot communicate directly with one or

more receiving stations because of line-of-sight restrictions, a satellite
can be used.

 The satellite in this application is what is generally known as a

repeater.
General block diagram of a communication satellite.
 The major subsystems consists of : -

 Solar Panel
 Power Subsystem
 Communication Subsystem
 Telemetry, Command, and Control Subsystems
 Solar Panel
 Solar panels are large arrays of photocells connected in various series
and parallel circuits to create a powerful source of direct current.

 Solar panels generate a direct current that is used to operate the various
components of the satellite.

 Inverters are used to supply special voltages to some subsystems.

Power Subsystem
 The basic dc voltage from the solar panels is conditioned in various ways.

 For example, it is typically passed through voltage regulator circuits before

being used to power individual electronic circuits.
 Communication Subsystem
 The heart of a communication satellite is the communication subsystem.

 The communication subsystem that performs the function of a repeater or relay station.

 The component that performs this function is known as a transponder.

 The basic purpose of a transponder is simply to regenerate the uplink signal and
retransmit it over the downlink. In this role, the transponder performs the function of an
amplifier.
  Communication Subsystem

 This is a set of transponders that receive the uplink signals and retransmit them
to earth.

 The transponders share an antenna subsystem for both reception and

transmission.
Repeaters and Transponder
 The satellite contains a receiver that picks up the transmitted signal,
amplifies it, and translates it on another frequency.

 The signal on the new frequency is then retransmitted to the receiving

stations on earth.

 The transmitter-receiver combination in the satellite is known as a

transponder.
 Transponder
 The basic functions of a transponder are amplification and frequency
translation.

 Transponders are also wide-bandwidth units so that they can receive and
retransmit more than one signal.

 Although the typical transponder has a wide bandwidth, it is used with only
one uplink or downlink signal to minimize interference and improve
communication reliability.
 Transponder
 However, transponders are more than just amplifiers, it consists of a receiver and
a transmitter.

 The receiver and transmitter in the satellite transponder are designed to operate at
separate frequencies. In this way, they will not interfere with each other.

 At C band frequencies, the uplink signal is in the 6-GHz range and the downlink
signal is in the 4-GHz range.

 This 2-GHz spacing is sufficient to eliminate most problems.

Type of Transponder
 These are :
 the single-conversion,
 double-conversion,

 and regenerative transponders.

Telemetry, Command, and Control Subsystems

 All satellites have a telemetry, command, and control (TC&C) subsystem that
allows a ground station to monitor and control conditions in the satellite.

 The telemetry system is used to report the status of the onboard subsystems to
the ground station.

 The telemetry system typically consists of various electronic sensors for

measuring temperatures, radiation levels, power supply voltages, and other key
operating characteristics.
Telemetry, Command, and Control Subsystems

 The sensors are selected by a multiplexer and then converted to a

digital signal, which then modulates an internal transmitter.

 This transmitter sends the telemetry information back to the earth

station, where it is recorded and monitored.

 A command and control system permits the ground station to control

the satellite.
 Typically, the satellite contains a command receiver that receives
control signals from an earth station transmitter.

 The control signals are made up of various digital codes that tell the
satellite what to do.
 Most satellites contain a small digital computer, usually
microprocessor-based, that acts as a central control unit for the
entire satellite.

 The computer may also be used to make necessary computations

and decisions.

 Information collected from the telemetry system may be first

processed by the computer before it is sent to the ground station.
 Ground Station
 The ground station, or earth station, is the terrestrial base of the system.
Ground Station

 An earth station consists of five major subsystems:

 the antenna subsystem,
 The receive subsystem,
 the transmit subsystem,
 the ground control equipment (GCE) subsystem,
 and the power subsystem
Ground Station
Ground Station
Satellite Applications
 The main application for satellites today is in communication.

 Satellites used for this purpose act as relay stations in the sky.

 They permit reliable long-distance communication worldwide.

 They solve many of the growing communication needs of

industry and government.

 Another major communication application is TV.

Satellite Applications
 Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS).
 Satellite Cell Phones.
 Digital Satellite Radio
 Surveillance Satellites
 Global Navigation Satellite Systems
 Reference:

Balmain,E. C. J. a. (PHI, 1968, Reprint 2003). ANTENNAS AND WAVE

PROPAGATION.
Elbert, B. R. (2008). Introduction to Satellite Communication (Third Edition
ed.).
Roddy,D. (2001 by The McGraw-Hill , Satellite Communications). Satellite
Communications (Third Edition ed.): McGraw-Hill. (Elbert, 2008)
(Balmain, PHI, 1968, Reprint 2003)