ELEMENTS OF

COMMUNICATION SATELLITE
DESIGN
❖ The various subsystems in a general communication satellites are:
1. Attitude and Orbit Control system(AOCS)
2. Telemetry, Tracking, command , and monitoring
system(TTCM)
3. Power system
4. Communications Subsystem
5. Satellite Antennas
6. Altitude Control Subsystem
Exploded view of a spinner satellite
based on the Boeing (Hughes) HS 376
design. INTELSAT IVA (courtesy of
Intelsat).
 Attitude and Orbit Control system(AOCS)
• Attitude and Orbit of the satellite must be controlled so that
satellite antenna point toward the earth.
• Solar pressure on antennas and sails generate eddy currents
in satellite metallic structure and cause rotation of the satellite
body. So care has to be taken drift it back.
• AOCS has to damp out Nutation (a wobble) and rotational
torque or movement.
• Equatorial bulges disturbs stability and satellite must be
accelerated in the opposite direction to counter these
Forces on a synchronous satellite.
 ATTITUDE CONTROL SYSTEM

• Make the satellite stable in orbit using rotation

• Stability of the spin axis and pointing direction.

• Spinners satellites

• Stabilization using one or more momentum wheels.

• Three axis stabilized satellites

(A spinner satellite, INTELSAT IV
A (courtesy of Intelsat).

Satellite consists of cylindrical

drum covered in solar cells and
contains power system and
rocket motors.

Communication system is
mounted on the top of the drum
and driven by mortar to counter
the direction and make it point
toward the earth called despun

small radial jets mounted on the

periphery of the drum to despin

arc jets or ion thrusters are used

for apogee kick that injects the
satellite in to final orbit and
maintains that orbit for life time.
( A three-axis stabilized satellite, INTELSAT V (courtesy of Intelsat).
 THREE-AXIS STABILIZED SATELLITE

• One pair of jets is needed for each axis

towards rotation.
• Pitch, roll and yaw are the rotations
• When motion is required along the axis
appropriate jet is operated for that time.
• Opposite gas jet has to be operated to stop
the action.
(a) Forces on a
satellite.

(b) Relationship
between axes of a
satellite.
Principle of N-S control of a spinner satellite using infrared Earth sensors.
Typical onboard control system for a spinner satellite.
(orbit control system) Satellite is inclined orbit.
Typical tracking, telemetry, command and monitoring
system
• TTC&M is required for successful operation.
• This is part of satellite management task
• Controls attitude, monitors sensors and
subsystems and switches the operations.
• TTC&M is done by the earth station and
satellite sensors, primarily tracking is done by
earth station.
Telemetry and Monitoring: Power conditioning
sensors, Temperatures sensors, pressure sensor of
fuel tanks and switched positioned are monitored by
thousand of sensors inbuilt
Tracking: observe the Doppler shifts in telemetry, and
range is used for orbital element determination.
Command: 1.secure and effective command is vital
2.This is used to make changes during launches.
3.Also used for firing apogee kick motors.
4.Safegaurd unauthorized attempts for changes to the
operation of satellite.
5. Command and telemetry are separated in freq
Typical tracking, telemetry, command and monitoring system.
 POWER SYSTEMS

• Solar Cells –Covert Sunlight to electrical energy.

• Deep space satellites use thermonuclear generators
• Solar cells do not convert all incident energy to
electrical power typically 20-25% at
BOL(beginning of life) and falls as aging/etching .
• Spin stabilized uses cylindrical body for solar cells
• Three axis can make better use of its solar cells as
the cells are arranged on flat panels which can be
rotated for incidence.
• Solar sails have to be rotated by electric motor.
 Communication sub-system

• These are used to provide relaying of voice,

video &data communications
• This section is the revenue earning for the system
operator.
• These have transponders with 250-500 MHZ
• Geo satellites use 6/4,ka -14/11,ku-30/20 GHZ
Illustration of the growth in size and weight of Intelsat satellites over 3 decades.
Transponder
arrangement of
RCA’s SATCOM
satellites and
frequency plan. The
translation
frequency is 2225
MHz. [Reproduced
with permission from
W. H.Braun and J.
E. Keigler, “RCA
Satellite Networks:
High Technology
and Low User Cost,”
Proceedings of the
IEEE 72, 1483-1505
(November 1984).
Copyright © 1984
IEEE.]
Simplified block diagram of an INTELSAT V communication system. Note that the
switch matrix allows many possible interconnections between uplink beams and
downlink transmitters. (Courtesy C. F. Hoeber, Ford Aerospace and Communications
Corp.)
Simplified single conversion transponder (bent pipe) for 6/4 GHz band.
Simplified double conversion transponder (bent pipe) for 14/11 GHz band.
Onboard Processing Transponder.
Typical satellite antenna patterns and coverage zones. The antenna for the global beam
is usually a waveguide horn. Scanning beams and shaped beams require phased array
antennas or reflector antennas with phased array feeds.
Typical coverage patterns for Intelsat satellites over the Atlantic Ocean.
Contour plot of the spot beam of ESA’s OTS satellite projected onto the earth. The contours are in
1 dB steps, normalized to 0 dB at the center of the beam.
Intelsat VI satellite on
station.
Deployment sequence of
ATS-6 10-m antenna.
(Courtesy of NASA.)
EQUIPMENT RELIABILITY AND SPACE QUALIFICATION

• Communication Satellites will provide the operational life time

up to 15 years .
• Components have to be highly reliable in the hostile
environment of outer space and strategy has to be devised
allowing failure without causing communication capacity to be
lost.
• Two approaches for reliability are used space qualification
and redundancy.
• SPACE QUALIFICATION ensures every part has long life
expectancy.
• REDUNDANCY provides continued operation when one
component fails.
SPACE QUALIFICATION:
• Outer space is a harsh environment where sun irradiates with 1.4 kW of heat
and light on each sq meter of exposed surface.
• When surfaces are in shadow heat is lost and surface temp will fall below
absolute zero ,Electronic equipment cannot operate at such extremes ,so
satellites have to be housed for temps.
• Screening of components for high reliability by section based on the past
operational and test experience for good reliability.
• A process called quality control or quality assurance or space qualification is
required.
• Standard Prototypes models are built and tested for reliability.
• Mechanical model contains structural and mechanical parts subjected to
vibration and shock testing
• Thermal model contains electronic packages for temperature for shake and
brake test. supports reflector displacements and bending of support
structures.
• Electrical model tests for electronic performances for antennas to provide
Bathtub curve for probability of
failure.
Redundancy connections.
(a) Series connection.
(b) Parallel connection.
(c) Series/parallel
connection.
(d) Switched connection.
Redundant W/TA configuration in HPA of a 6/4 GHz bent pipe
transponder.