Advance in Electronic and Electric Engineering.

ISSN 2231-1297, Volume 3, Number 7 (2013), pp. 847-852

© Research India Publications
http://www.ripublication.com/aeee.htm

Performance Evaluation of Intersatellite Free Space Optical

Communication System with Varied Parameters and
Transceiver Diversity

Isha Aggarwal1, Paras Chawla2, Rohan Gupta3

1,2,3
ECED, JMIT, Radaur, Haryana, INDIA.

Abstract

Free space optical communication provides a very important method

for the satellites orbiting around the earth to communication with each
other. In this paper , optical intersatellite link is modelled using
optisystem software and then the effect of varying the transmitter
power and aperture diameter of transmitter and receiver telescopes is
analysed. The results shows that large transmitter power and aperture
diameters are needed for communication at high data rates (Gbps) over
large distances(5000km) which is in case of leo-leo communication.so,
the multiple TX/RX are used to improve the quality of intersatellite
optical wireless communication (IsOWC) link. The IsOWC with
multiple TX/RX system performance is analysed in terms of received
power, eye diagram and Q-factor. The model is designed and simulated
using the optisystem 7.0 software. The results of IsOWC with and
without multiple TX/RX are also taken into account. The proposed
system shows that the introduction of 4 TX/RX makes the
communication possible for leo-leo communication over 5000km at
the data rate of 5.6Gbps.

Keywords: Free space optical communication; intersatellite optical

wireless communication (IsOWC); line of sight (LOS);Q-factor;
multiple TX/RX.

1. Introduction
For the research and communication purpose for the benefits of the mankind,the
manmade satellites have been developed .A satellite is an object that orbits around
848 Isha Aggarwal et al

another object in space. The satellite may reside in one of the several orbits- low Earth
orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), highly elliptical orbit (HEO) and
geosynchronous orbit (GEO). An intersatellite link is a communications link that
connects two separate satellites directly.One satellite could have several links to
numerous other satellites.Intersatellite links are very important for communication of
of two satellite in same orbit or two different orbits like communication between a leo
and geo satellite.As geo satellite suffers from long propagation delay and propagation
loss therefor the leo satellite can be used here to relay the signal.[1].In this paper,we
are considering the communication between two leo satellites i.e the leo-leo inter
satellite link. The leo satellites are present at the height of 600-1600km. Some missions
and applications require more than one satellite such as the global tracking system
(GPS) satellites and Iridium satellites. To connect these satellites, the fastest and most
efficient way is by using optical intersatellite links. With recent needs of high speed
communication systems,free space optical communication became very popular. It is a
line of sight technology.Free space optical communication is an ultra high speed and
large capacity communication which is based on use of lasers as a carrier signal. Free
space optical communication is preferred over RF communication because of having
narrower beamwidths due to use of lasers and other advantages like reducing the size
of antenna, used hence reducing the weight of the satellite, minimizing the power used
for the communication system, and offering higher data rate. This work will make use
the multiple TX/RX i.e. multiple laser beams within a FSO based unit to analyse its
communication link performances. The effort here is to model the multiple TX/RX
FSO link between two satellites based on the optisystem software and measure the
FSO received power.

2. System Design
The wavelength available for FSO communication are 850nm to 1550nm.here the
transmitted wavelength is 1550nm because the attenuation due to the Rayleigh and
Mie scattering is inversely proportional to wavelength.so longest possible wavelength
of 1550nm is selected for the communication .Though in this project it is assumed that
there are no particles obstructing the light signal, but small and large particles such as
space dusts and meteorites can be within the light signal's way. Therefore, the longest
possible wavelength is 1550 nm..

2.1 IsOWC simplex design model

The satellites communicate in full duplex using optical system[2].The block diagram
of a simplex IsOWC which is a one way data transmission model is shown in Fig. 3.Tt
is simulated using optisystem software.The data is then modulated by mach-zehnder
modulator using light signal(generated by laser) as a carrier. Performance of an
IsOWC system is highly affected by the distance between the satellites and the system
bit rate.
Perf
rformance Evaluation
E o Intersatelllite Free Sp
of pace Opticaal Communiication 849

Figg. 1: Simpleex IsOWC design

d modeel[]

2.2.. IsOWC ussing multip

ple TX/RX

Fig. 2: IsOWC
I dessign model employing
e d
diversity

Multiple TX/RX
T systeem is moddelled for th he performaance of IsO OWC link with
anallysis by usiing the OptiSystem Version
V 7.0 by Optiwavve[3] . Figuure1 showss the
layoout model for
f 4TX and 4RX com mbinations. A typical IsOWCI sysstem consistts of
trannsmitter, a channel
c and the receiveer. The role of the opticcal transmittter is to con
nvert
the electrical signal
s into optical
o formm [5]. The OWC channnel is a subbsystem off two
telescopes withh the FSO channel
c betwween them.IIn the propoosed optisysstem modell, the
OWWC channel is between an optical transmitter
t and
a optical receiver wiith 18cm op ptical
anteenna at eaach end.Thhe receivingg end of the inter satellite ooptical wireeless
commmunicationn link signall consists off a photodio
ode, a low pass filter, reegenerator and
a a
visuualizer. The output of the
t 3R regeenerator is connected
c too the eye diiagram anallyser
and to satellite’’s TT&C syystem for fuurther signall processingg. The eye diiagram anallyser
givees the value of maximuum Q factor,, minimum BER, eye height h threshhold.
8500 Ishaa Aggarwal et al

3. Results and
a Discussions
FIG
G 2,3 are obbserved for simplex IsO OWC and shows
s that for very higgh data ratees in
Gbpps, the com
mmunicationn is not posssiblefor the large distaances as neeeded for leo o-leo
com
mmunicationn. Also to make thiss communiication posssible very large aperrture
diam
meter(50cmm) is neededd. So transceiver diverssity is emplloyed whichh has impro oved
the system perrformance as a comparedd with the help of eyee diagram iin fig 5 and d fig
6.Fiig 7 shows that
t as the no.n of TX-R RX increase the value of o power recceived increeases
so thhat communnication forr larger distaances at high
her data ratees can be acchieved.

Fig 3 Fig 4

Fig. 5: Eye diagram foor simplex Fig 6:eyye diagram for

IsOwcsysteem IsOWC C eploying ddiversity

Fig 7
Performance Evaluation of Intersatellite Free Space Optical Communication 851

4. Conclusion
Performance improvement of intersatellite optical wireless link is done by employing
transceiver diversity. It is observed that for single transmitter and receiver IsOWC link,
the received power calculated is only -37 dbm, and in this case leo-leo communication
is not possible for large distance of 5000km.When we use 2 TX/RX system, successful
communications starts in IsOWC link. When the number of transmitter/receivers is
increased, the power received increases and for 4 TX/RX system, received power has a
large value of power received of -25 dBm. Secondly bit rates of IsOWC link is also
increases, when number of TX/RX is increased. It examined that when the number of
TX/RX is increased from 1-4, the bit rates is increased from 0.01 to 5.6 Gbps. Data
rates up to 5.6Gbps is achieved employing transceivers diversity for 4TX/RX IsOWC
link at the improved bit error rate of 10^-16.

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