Satellite Communications

Dr. Samy Elmokadem

Topics of Presentation

Intro

Lunching

Applications

Satellites
How it works

Frequency Bands

Objectives
Provide a broad overview of the status of digital satellite communications. Discuss main physical, architectural and networking issues of satellite systems. Provide in-depth understanding of modern modulation, coding and multiple access schemes. Review the state of the art in open research areas such as speech and video coding, satellite networking, internet over satellite and satellite personal communications. Highlight trends and future directions of satellite communication

Overview
Satellite technology has progressed tremendously over the last 50 years since Arthur C. Clarke first proposed its idea in 1945 in his article in Wireless World. Today, satellite systems can provide a variety of services including broadband communications, audio/video distribution networks, maritime navigation, worldwide customer service and support as well as military command and control. Satellite systems are also expected to play an important role in the emerging 4G global infrastructure providing the wide area coverage necessary for the realization of the Optimally Connected Anywhere, Anytime vision that drives the growth of modern telecom industry.

Overview
Satellite technology has progressed tremendously over the last 50 years since Arthur C. Clarke first proposed its idea in 1945 in his article in Wireless World. Today, satellite systems can provide a variety of services including broadband communications, audio/video distribution networks, maritime navigation, worldwide customer service and support as well as military command and control. Satellite systems are also expected to play an important role in the emerging 4G global infrastructure providing the wide area coverage necessary for the realization of the Optimally Connected Anywhere, Anytime vision that drives the growth of modern telecom industry.

Satellite Components
Satellite Subsystems Telemetry, Tracking, and Control Electrical Power and Thermal Control Attitude Control Communication Subsystems Link Budget Modulation Techniques Coding and Error Correction Networking (service provisioning, multimedia constraints and QoS) Multiple Access and On-board Processing Applications (Internet, Mobile computing)

Classification of Satellite Orbits

Circular or elliptical orbit
Circular with center at earths center Elliptical with one foci at earths center

Orbit around earth in different planes

Equatorial orbit above earths equator Polar orbit passes over both poles Other orbits referred to as inclined orbits

Altitude of satellites
Geostationary orbit (GEO) Medium earth orbit (MEO) Low earth orbit (LEO)

Satellite Orbits

Equatorial

Inclined

Polar

Heres the Math

Gravity depends on the mass of the earth, the mass of the satellite, and the distance between the center of the earth and the satellite For a satellite traveling in a circle, the speed of the satellite and the radius of the circle determine the force (of gravity) needed to maintain the orbit The radius of the orbit is also the distance from the center of the earth. For each orbit the amount of gravity available is therefore fixed That in turn means that the speed at which the satellite travels is determined by the orbit

Lets look in a Physics Book

From what we have deduced so far, there has to be an equation that relates the orbit and the speed of the satellite:
r3 T 2 4 1014
R^3=mu/n^2 N=2pi/T

T is the time for one full revolution around the orbit, in seconds r is the radius of the orbit, in meters, including the radius of the earth (6.38x106m).

The Most Common Example

Height of the orbit = 22,300 mile That is 36,000km = 3.6x107m The radius of the orbit is
3.6x107m + 6.38x106m = 4.2x107m

Put that into the formula and

The Geosynchronous Orbit

The answer is T = 86,000 sec (rounded) 86,000 sec = 1,433 min = 24hours (rounded) The satellite needs 1 day to complete an orbit Since the earth turns once per day, the satellite moves with the surface of the earth.

Assignment
How long does a Low Earth Orbit Satellite need for one orbit at a height of 200miles = 322km = 3.22x105m Do this:
Add the radius of the earth, 6.38x106m Compute T from the formula Change T to minutes or hours
r3 T 2 4 1014

Basics
Satellites in circular orbits attractive force Fg = m g (R/r) centrifugal force Fc = m r m: mass of the satellite R: radius of the earth (R = 6370 km) r: distance to the center of the earth g: acceleration of gravity (g = 9.81 m/s) : angular velocity ( = 2 f, f: rotation frequency) Stable orbit Fg = Fc

r3

gR 2 (2 f )

Basics
elliptical or circular orbits complete rotation time depends on distance satellite-earth inclination: angle between orbit and equator elevation: angle between satellite and horizon LOS (Line of Sight) to the satellite necessary for connection high elevation needed, less absorption due to e.g. buildings Uplink: connection base station - satellite Downlink: connection satellite - base station typically separated frequencies for uplink and downlink transponder used for sending/receiving and shifting of frequencies transparent transponder: only shift of frequencies regenerative transponder: additionally signal regeneration

Inclination
plane of satellite orbit

satellite orbit perigee d inclination d equatorial plane

Elevation

Elevation: angle e between center of satellite beam and surface

minimal elevation: elevation needed at least to communicate with the satellite

Orbits I
Four different types of satellite orbits can be identified depending on the shape and diameter of the orbit: GEO: geostationary orbit, ca. 36000 km above earth surface LEO (Low Earth Orbit): ca. 500 - 1500 km MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) or ICO (Intermediate Circular Orbit): ca. 6000 - 20000 km HEO (Highly Elliptical Orbit) elliptical orbits

Orbits II

GEO (Inmarsat) HEO LEO (Globalstar, Irdium) earth MEO (ICO) inner and outer Van Allen belts

Van-Allen-Belts: ionized particles 2000 - 6000 km and 15000 - 30000 km above earth surface

1000
10000

35768 km

Geostationary satellites
Orbit 35,786 km distance to earth surface, orbit in equatorial plane (inclination 0) complete rotation exactly one day, satellite is synchronous to earth rotation fix antenna positions, no adjusting necessary satellites typically have a large footprint (up to 34% of earth surface!), therefore difficult to reuse frequencies bad elevations in areas with latitude above 60 due to fixed position above the equator high transmit power needed high latency due to long distance (ca. 275 ms) not useful for global coverage for small mobile phones and data transmission, typically used for radio and TV transmission

LEO systems
Orbit ca. 500 - 1500 km above earth surface visibility of a satellite ca. 10 - 40 minutes global radio coverage possible latency comparable with terrestrial long distance connections, ca. 5 - 10 ms smaller footprints, better frequency reuse but now handover necessary from one satellite to another many satellites necessary for global coverage more complex systems due to moving satellites Examples: Iridium (start 1998, 66 satellites) Bankruptcy in 2000, deal with US DoD (free use, saving from deorbiting) Globalstar (start 1999, 48 satellites) Not many customers (2001: 44000), low stand-by times for mobiles

MEO systems
Orbit ca. 5000 - 12000 km above earth surface comparison with LEO systems: slower moving satellites less satellites needed simpler system design for many connections no hand-over needed higher latency, ca. 70 - 80 ms higher sending power needed special antennas for small footprints needed Example: ICO (Intermediate Circular Orbit, Inmarsat) start ca. 2000 Bankruptcy, planned joint ventures with Teledesic, Ellipso cancelled again, start planned for 2003

Satellite Communications

Lunching Satellites
How does a satellite stay in its orbit?

Satellite Systems Applications

What are Communication Satellites?

A satellite is an object that orbits another large object like planet. A communication satellite is a staion in space that is used for telecommuncation, radio and television signals.

The first satellite with radio transmitter was in 1957.

Geostationary orbits
What are them?
Geostationary orbits is fixed position to an earth-based observer.

When was the first use?

The first truly geostationary sateliite was the SYNCOM3 in 1964.

Why they are important in communications?

- The antennas in the ground dont need equipment to track the satellite. - Lower cost & complixity.

Disadvantages?
- Not always suitable for providing services at high latitudes. - Molniya satellite was introduced as a solution.

Frequency Bands
Three common bands:
1) C-Band.
2) KU-Band. 3) KA-Band.

Most common are C-Band & KU-Band. C-Band occupy 4 to 8 GHz frequency:
- Low frequency. - Large antenna (2-3 meters).

KU-Band occupy 11 to 17 GHz:

- Large frequency. - Small antenna (18-inches!)

Applications
Telephony
- Fixed points< earth station> Satellite> earth station> fixed points.

Televesion & Radio

- e.g. Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) & Fixed service satellite (FFS).

Mobile satellite technology

- Special antenna called mobile satellite antenna. - No matter where or how this antenna is mounted on.

Applications
Amateur radio
- Access to OSCAR satellite. - Low earth orbits.

Internet
- High Speed. - Useful for far away places.

Military
- Uses geostationary satellites. - Example: The Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS).

Disadvantages
The antenna noise due to energy
- Unwanted radiation sources (stars galaxies - etc). - Worsen S/N ratio.

Atmosphere behaves as a resistive medium

- Supplies noise power to the antenna.

Meteors
- Have to be programmed to avoid any rock or any harmful thing. - Rules of orbits.

Expensive
- only for governments or large organizations.

Communication Satellite
A Communication Satellite can be looked upon as a large microwave repeater It contains several transponders which listens to some portion of spectrum, amplifies the incoming signal and broadcasts it in another frequency to avoid interference with incoming signals.

Motivation to use Satellites

Satellite Missions

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists [www.ucsusa.org]

Satellite Microwave Transmission

Satellites can relay signals over a long distance Geostationary Satellites
Remain above the equator at a height of about 22300 miles (geosynchronous orbits) Travel around the earth in exactly the same time, the earth takes to rotate

Satellite System Elements

Space Segment
Satellite Launching Phase Transfer Orbit Phase Deployment Operation
TT&C - Tracking Telemetry and Command Station SSC - Satellite Control Center, a.k.a.:
OCC - Operations Control Center SCF - Satellite Control Facility

Retirement Phase

Ground Segment
Collection of facilities, Users and Applications

Earth Station = Satellite Communication Station (Fixed or Mobile)

Satellite Uplink and Downlink

Downlink
The link from a satellite down to one or more ground stations or receivers

Uplink
The link from a ground station up to a satellite.

Some companies sell uplink and downlink services to

television stations, corporations, and to other telecommunication carriers. A company can specialize in providing uplinks, downlinks, or both.

Satellite Uplink and Downlink

Satellite Communication

When using a satellite for long distance communications, the satellite acts as a repeater. An earth station transmits the signal up to the satellite (uplink), which in turn retransmits it to the receiving earth station (downlink). Different frequencies are used for uplink/downlink.

Source: Cryptome [Cryptome.org]

Satellite Transmission Links

Earth stations Communicate by sending signals to the satellite on an uplink The satellite then repeats those signals on a downlink The broadcast nature of downlink makes it attractive for services such as the distribution of TV programs

Direct to User Services

One way Service (Broadcasting)

Two way Service (Communication)

Satellite Signals
Used to transmit signals and data over long distances
Weather forecasting Television broadcasting Internet communication Global Positioning Systems

Satellite Transmission Bands

Frequency Band Downlink Uplink

C Ku

3,700-4,200 MHz 5,925-6,425 MHz 11.7-12.2 GHz 17.7-21.2 GHz 14.0-14.5 GHz 27.5-31.0 GHz

Ka

Types of Satellite Orbits

Based on the inclination, i, over the equatorial plane:
Equatorial Orbits above Earths equator (i=0) Polar Orbits pass over both poles (i=90) Other orbits called inclined orbits (0<i<90)

Based on Eccentricity
Circular with centre at the earths centre Elliptical with one foci at earths centre

Types of Satellite based Networks

Based on the Satellite Altitude
GEO Geostationary Orbits
36000 Km = 22300 Miles, equatorial, High latency

MEO Medium Earth Orbits

High bandwidth, High power, High latency

LEO Low Earth Orbits

Low power, Low latency, More Satellites, Small Footprint

VSAT
Very Small Aperture Satellites
Private WANs

Satellite Orbits

Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO): 36,000 km above Earth, includes commercial and military communications satellites, satellites providing early warning of ballistic missile launch. Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): from 5000 to 15000 km, they include navigation satellites (GPS, Galileo, Glonass). Low Earth Orbit (LEO): from 500 to 1000 km above Earth, includes military intelligence satellites, weather satellites.

Source: Federation of American Scientists [www.fas.org]

Satellite Orbits

GEO - Geostationary Orbit

In the equatorial plane Orbital Period = 23 h 56 m 4.091 s = 1 sidereal day* Satellite appears to be stationary over any point on equator:
Earth Rotates at same speed as Satellite Radius of Orbit r = Orbital Height + Radius of Earth Avg. Radius of Earth = 6378.14 Km

3 Satellites can cover the earth (120 apart)

NGSO - Non Geostationary Orbits

Orbit should avoid Van Allen radiation belts:
Region of charged particles that can cause damage to satellite Occur at
~2000-4000 km and ~13000-25000 km

LEO - Low Earth Orbits

Circular or inclined orbit with < 1400 km altitude
Satellite travels across sky from horizon to horizon in 5 - 15 minutes => needs handoff Earth stations must track satellite or have Omni directional antennas Large constellation of satellites is needed for continuous communication (66 satellites needed to cover earth) Requires complex architecture Requires tracking at ground

HEO - Highly Elliptical Orbits

HEOs (i = 63.4) are suitable to provide coverage at high latitudes (including North Pole in the northern hemisphere) Depending on selected orbit (e.g. Molniya, Tundra, etc.) two or three satellites are sufficient for continuous time coverage of the service area. All traffic must be periodically transferred from the setting satellite to the rising satellite (Satellite Handover)

Why Satellites remain in Orbits

Advantages of Satellite Communication

Can reach over large geographical area Flexible (if transparent transponders) Easy to install new circuits Circuit costs independent of distance Broadcast possibilities Temporary applications (restoration) Niche applications Mobile applications (especially "fill-in") Terrestrial network "by-pass" Provision of service to remote or underdeveloped areas User has control over own network 1-for-N multipoint standby possibilities

Disadvantages of Satellite Communication

Large up front capital costs (space segment and launch) Terrestrial break even distance expanding (now approx. size of Europe) Interference and propagation delay Congestion of frequencies and orbits

When to use Satellites

When the unique features of satellite communications make it attractive When the costs are lower than terrestrial routing When it is the only solution

Examples:
Communications to ships and aircraft (especially safety communications) TV services - contribution links, direct to cable head, direct to home Data services - private networks Overload traffic Delaying terrestrial investments 1 for N diversity Special events

When to use Terrestrial

PSTN - satellite is becoming increasingly uneconomic for most trunk telephony routes but, there are still good reasons to use satellites for telephony such as: thin routes, diversity, very long distance traffic and remote locations. Land mobile/personal communications - in urban areas of developed countries new terrestrial infrastructure is likely to dominate (e.g. GSM, etc.) but, satellite can provide fill-in as terrestrial networks are implemented, also provide similar services in rural areas and underdeveloped countries

Frequency Bands Allocated to the FSS

Frequency bands are allocated to different services at World Radio-communication Conferences (WRCs). Allocations are set out in Article S5 of the ITU Radio Regulations. It is important to note that (with a few exceptions) bands are generally allocated to more than one radio services. CONSTRAINTS
Bands have traditionally been divided into commercial" and "government/military" bands, although this is not reflected in the Radio Regulations and is becoming less clear-cut as "commercial" operators move to utilize "government" bands.

Earths atmosphere

Source: All about GPS [www.kowoma.de]

Atmospheric Losses
Different types of atmospheric losses can disturb radio wave transmission in satellite systems:
Atmospheric absorption Atmospheric attenuation Traveling ionospheric disturbances

Atmospheric Absorption
Energy absorption by atmospheric gases, which varies with the frequency of the radio waves. Two absorption peaks are observed (for 90 elevation angle):
22.3 GHz from resonance absorption in water vapour (H2O) 60 GHz from resonance absorption in oxygen (O2)

For other elevation angles:

[AA] = [AA]90 cosec

Source: Satellite Communications, Dennis Roddy, McGraw-Hill

Atmospheric Attenuation
Rain is the main cause of atmospheric attenuation (hail, ice and snow have little effect on attenuation because of their low water content). Total attenuation from rain can be determined by:
A = L [dB] where [dB/km] is called the specific attenuation, and can be calculated from specific attenuation coefficients in tabular form that can be found in a number of publications where L [km] is the effective path length of the signal through the rain; note that this differs from the geometric path length due to fluctuations in the rain density.