SATELLITE- COMMUNICATION

Presented by,
R-THANDAIAH PRABU M.E.,

Working of satellite

Satellite
The word satellite originated from the Latin word
Satellit- meaning an attendant, one who is constantly
covering around & attending to a master or big man
Earth Stations antenna systems on earth
Uplink transmission from an earth station to a satellite
Downlink transmission from a satellite to an earth
station
Transponder electronics in the satellite that convert
uplink signals to downlink signals

Frequency Allocation for Satellite Communication

Band

Uplink (GHz)

Downlink (GHz)

Ku

14

12

Ka

30

20

8.2

7.5

40

20

44

21

1.525 to 1.559

1.626 to 1.660

First satellite launched into space: Sputnik (1957).

Frequency Bands Available for

Satellite Communications

APPLICATIONS
1. Global Telecommunications : Land, Sea, Air
2. Broadcasting : Sound, TV, Multimedia, Cable TV, DTH, DTU, DBS, DVB

3. Navigation : Global Positioning System (GPS)

4. Remote Sensing Earth Observation
5. Weather

6. Emergency Communication Services Disasters

7. Mobile Communication Services
8. Corporate Communications Virtual Private Network (VPN)

- VSAT Technology
9. Military Communications

Applications

Different services of satellite

systems
*Fixed satellite services
*Broadcasting satellite services
*Mobile satellite services
*Navigational satellite services
*Meteorological satellite services.

Communication process

Satellite Orbits
Low Earth Equatorial

Polar Orbit

Orbit

Geostationary Orbit

Molniya Orbit

north celestial pole

north pole

equator
equator
south pole

Major Axis

south celestial pole

celestial
sphere

Motion of Space Objects

Three classes of Satellite orbits:

Satellites orbits vary depending on:

1) altitude

2) inclination

3) orbital period

An orbit is the path that a satellite follows as it revolves around Earth

1) Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

up to 2,000km altitude
remote sensing satellites, altimeter satellites, other
2) Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)

altitudes between 5,000km 20,000km

GPS satellites (12hr period twice a day)
3) Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) 24hr period appears fixed
altitudes of 36,000km
communication satellites

Satellite orbit altitudes

GEO Orbit
Advantages of the the GEO orbit
No problem with frequency changes
Tracking of the satellite is simplified
High coverage area

Disadvantages of the GEO orbit

Weak signal after traveling over 35,000 km
Polar regions are poorly served
Signal sending delay is substantial

LEO Satellite Characteristics

Circular/slightly elliptical orbit under 2000 km

Orbit period ranges from 1.5 to 2 hours
Diameter of coverage is about 8000 km
Round-trip signal propagation delay less than 20
ms
Maximum satellite visible time up to 20 min
System must cope with large Doppler shifts
Atmospheric drag results in orbital deterioration

MEO Satellite Characteristics

Circular orbit at an altitude in the range of 5000 to
12,000 km
Orbit period of 6 hours
Diameter of coverage is 10,000 to 15,000 km
Round trip signal propagation delay less than 50
ms
Maximum satellite visible time is a few hours

Orbital location and footprint

The location of a geostationary satellite is referred to
as its orbital location. International satellites are normally
measured in terms of longitudinal degrees East ( E) from the
Prime Meridian of 0

The geographic area of the Earth's surface over

which a satellite can transmit to, or receive from, is
called the satellite's "footprint."

Motion of
Space Objects
1473 -1543 Copernicus
Heliocentric (sun in the center) Orbit
1546 1601 Tycho Brahe
Before telescope followed the planets (acquired quality data)
1571 1630 Johannes Kepler
Discovered orbital path to be elliptical around focus point
Keplers 3 laws of planetary motion
1642 1727 Sir Isaac Newton
Physical Principals Universal law of Gravitation

Keplers 3 (empirical) laws of

Planetary Motion
First Law (elliptical orbit)

The orbital path of a planet takes the shape of an ellipse,

with the Sun located at one of its focal points.

Keplers Second Law

The line from the sun to a planet sweeps out equal areas in
equal time intervals.
t1
t2

areaA
t4

aphelion
(slowest)

perihelion
(fastest)
areaB

areaA = areaB if t2-t1 = t4-t3

t3

Keplers Third Law

The ratio of the square of the planets orbital
period and the cube of the mean distance from
the Sun is constant

(D1/D2)3 = (P1/P2)2
Planets far from the sun take longer to orbit the
sun than do planets nearer the sun.

Geometry of an Ellipse
Semi-major axis of the satellite orbit
Eccentricity of the satellite orbit (deviation from a circle)
A satellite is closest to the earth at a point called Perigee
A satellites farthest point from the earth is called apogee

GPS orbital period of 12 hours based on Keplers third law

corresponds to a satellite altitude of about 20,000km above the
surface of the earth

Apogee
Inclination
V

Definitions & orbital parameters:

Apogee: Farthest from earth

Perigee

Right Ascension

Perigee: Closest approach to earth

Line of apsides: Joining perigee & apogee through center of the earth
Ascending node: Point where the orbit crosses the equatorial plane
going from south to north
Descending node: Point where the orbit crosses the equatorial plane
going from north to south
Line of nodes: Line joining the ascending and descending node
through the center of the earth

Inclination:
Angle between the orbital plane
and earths equatorial plane
Prograde orbit: Satellite moves in the same direction as the
earths rotation ( 0 to 90)
Retrograde orbit: Satellite moves in the counter direction to the
earths rotation
Mean anomaly: Average value of the angular position of the
satellite with reference to the perigee
True anomaly: Angle from perigee to the satellite position
measured at the earths center.

Sources of Orbital
Perturbations
Several external forces cause perturbation
to spacecraft orbit
3rd body effects, e.g., sun, moon, other
planets
Unsymmetrical central bodies
Space Environment: Solar Pressure, drag
from rarefied atmosphere

Orbit perturbations

1) Keplers three laws of planetary motion

Apply to any orbiting object (Satellites)
2) GPS Satellites orbit the earth in an
elliptical path
3) Earth becomes the focal points

 Mean motion of the orbital

period is called as anomalistic
period
P=2 /n sec
perturbation which must be
accounted for. Main effects:
Regression of nodes
Rotation of apsides

Orbital Perturbation Effects:

Regression of Nodes
Regression of Nodes: Equatorial bulge causes component of gravity
vector acting on SC to be slightly out of orbit plane
This out of orbit plane component
causes a slight precession of the
orbit plane.

The resulting orbital rotation is called regression of node.

Note: Although regression rate is small for Geo., it must be accounted.

Orbital Perturbation:
Rotation of Apsides

Rotation of apsides caused by earth

oblateness is similar to regression of
nodes. The phenomenon is caused by
a higher acceleration near the equator
and a resulting overshoot at periapsis.
This only occurs in elliptical orbits.

Satellites in geosynchronous orbit

Uses of Geostationary Orbits

Geostationary orbits are primarily used for two functions:

Weather monitoring
Telecommunications & Broadcasting
Commercial growth is focused on:
DTH TV (Direct To Home: Sky TV)

Phone, Fax, Video, Data services

Mobile Communications
VSAT & USAT
Digital Radio

Three conditions are required for an

orbit to be geostationary:
The satellite must travel eastward at
the same rotational speed as the
earth
The orbit must be circular
The inclination of the orbit must be
zero

How To File for a Geo Position

Only Allocated to National Governments
Go to National Government
Request Orbital Position (s)
US Companies (Non Governmental Entities)
work through FCC
UK through UK Radiocommunications Agency
Prepare ITU Paperwork
File & Coordinate
First Come, First Served = Priority!

To determine the look angles for the

geostationary orbit we need
The earth station latitude
The earth station longitude
The longitude of the sub satellite
point
The average of radius R=6378 km
polar antenna
A single actuator is used which moves the antenna in a
circular arc ie known as polar mount antenna.

Declination
The angle of tilt is often referred to as the declination which
must not be confused with the magnetic declination used in
correcting compass readings.

Limits of Visibility:
The limits will be set by the geographic coordinates of the
earth station and the antenna elevation.