Part 1

COURE TITLE: SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
COURSE CODE: EEE 524
Part 1: Introduction to Satellite Communications
❑ Early History of Satellite Communications
❑ Satellite Communications Segments
❑ Satellite Link Parameters
❑ Satellite Frequency Band Designations
1
FAQs ?
1. Who invented satellites?
2. When were satellites invented?
3. How big is a satellite?
4. How many years can a satellite last?
5. How do you fix satellites if they get broken?
6. How does a satellite get its power?
7. How much power does it take to transmit a signal?
8. What kinds of people work in the satellite industry?
2
FAQs ?
1. Arthur C. Clarke, who went on to be a well-read author of science fiction novels.
2. The first satellites were experimented with in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Intelsat’s
first satellite, which was called ‘Early Bird’, was launched on 6 April 1965.
3. Based on the Intelsat 9 series, before liftoff, it’s about 4,500 kilograms! Without fuel, it’s
about 2,000 kilograms! The body is 5.6 meters and the solar panels are 31 meters wide;
more than a 10-story building!
4. It varies by satellite type. The type of satellites that we own can last over 20 years, but
typically their work life is approximately 15 years.
3
FAQs ?
5. The satellites send back ‘health check’ information to ground engineers all the time. Predeveloped
commands are sent to the satellite to perform certain functions, such as firing a booster or changing
the angle of a solar panel, so that it can repair itself.
6. Mostly solar power are collected by the solar arrays/panels. There are also batteries on the satellites
for the times when the satellite passes through the earths shadow. This is called eclipse.
7. The power used to send a communications signal to the Earth from a satellite is about the same as a
typical 60W light bulb, just like you have at home.
8. All kinds! Engineers, rocket scientists, sales people, writers, accountants and lawyers.
4
Early History of Satellite Communications
❑ The idea of a synchronous orbiting satellite capable of relaying communications to and from the earth is
generally attributed to Arthur C. Clarke.
❑ Clarke observed in his classic 1945 paper that a satellite in a circular equatorial orbit with a radius of about
36,000 km would have an angular velocity matching that of the earth, and thus it would remain above the same
spot on the earth’s surface.
❑ This orbiting artificial satellite could therefore receive and transmit signals from anywhere on earth in
view of the satellite to any other place on the surface in view of the satellite.
❑ First satellite was launched in 1957 by Russia. It was Sputnik 1.
❑ INTELSAT I (nicknamed Early Bird) was the first (commercial) communications satellite to be placed in
geosynchronous orbit, on April 6, 1965.
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Early History of Satellite Communications
❑ By definition, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavor. Such objects are
sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon.
❑ A communications satellite is an orbiting

artificial earth satellite that receives a
communications signal from a transmitting
ground station, amplifies and possibly
processes it, then transmits it back to the earth
for reception by one or more receiving ground
stations
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Other Types of Artificial Satellites

❑ Communications Satellites.
❑ Weather Satellites: provide meteorologists with scientific data to predict weather conditions and are equipped
with advanced instruments.
❑ Earth Observation Satellites
❑ Navigation Satellites: Using GPS technology these satellites are able to provide a person's exact location on
Earth to within a few meters.
❑ Broadcast Satellites
❑ Scientific Satellites : perform a variety of scientific missions e.g. The Hubble Space Telescope.
❑ Military satellites
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Basics: How do Satellites Work
• Two Stations on Earth want to

communicate through radio broadcast but
are too far away to use conventional means.
• The two stations can use a satellite as a

relay station for their communication.
• One Earth Station sends a transmission to

the satellite. This is called a Uplink.
• The satellite Transponder converts the

signal and sends it down to the second
earth station. This is called a Downlink.
Communications via satellite in the telecommunications infrastructure
8
Block Diagram of a Communication Satellite
9
Advantages and Disadvantages of satellite communications

Some of the advantages of satellite communications are: The disadvantages of satellite
❑ Adaptable to customer requirements communication:
❑ High Capacity / High carrier frequencies ❑ Launching satellites into orbit is

❑ Cost advantage / Cost is independent of distance / Fixed costly.
Broadcast Costs
❑ Satellite bandwidth is gradually
❑ Not affected by geographical obstructions becoming used up.
❑ Quick implementation
❑ There is a larger propagation delay in
❑ Alternate routing or redundancy satellite communication than in
❑ Low Error Rates terrestrial communication
❑ Diverse User Networks
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Satellite Communications Segments
❑ A satellite communications (satcom) system maybe looked at as comprising of three parts “space segment”, the
the “ground segment” and the transmission medium ( the space between the Earth and the satellite)
❑ A telecommunications satellite comprises:

− A platform (or bus): physical structure, propulsion system, fuel tanks, batteries, solar panels, attitude and orbit
control functions, etc. It is usually standardized by the manufacturer.
− A payload: the equipment used to provide the service for which the satellite has been launched. Its is
customized for a given mission .
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Space Segment
❑ The space segment includes the satellite in orbit in the system, and
the ground station that provides the operational control of the
satellite(s) in orbit.
❑ The ground station is variously referred to as the Tracking,

Telemetry, Command (TT&C) or the Tracking, Telemetry,
Command and Monitoring (TTC&M) station
❑ The TTC&M station provides essential spacecraft management and

control functions to keep the satellite operating safely in orbit.
❑ The TTC&M links between the spacecraft and the ground are
usually separate from the user communications links.
❑ TTC&M links may operate in the same frequency bands or in other

Figure: The space segment for a communications satellite network bands
12
Ground Segment
❑ The ground segment of the communications satellite system consists of the earth surface area based terminals
that utilize the communications capabilities of the Space Segment. Ground stations are not included in the
ground segment.
❑ The ground segment terminals consist of three basic types:
1. Fixed (in-place) terminals are designed to access the satellite while fixed in-place on the ground. They
are defined by the fact that they are not moving while communicating with the satellite. Examples are
terminals mounted on residence buildings used to receive broadcast satellite signals.
2. Transportable terminals are designed to be movable, but once on location remain fixed during
transmissions to the satellite. Examples are satellite news gathering (SGN) trucks, which move to
locations, stop in place, and then deploy an antenna to establish links to the satellite.
3. Mobile terminals are designed to communicate with the satellite while in motion. They are further
defined as land mobile, aeronautical mobile, or maritime mobile
13
Ground Segment
Earth Station Components- simplified list
• Reflector – Physical reflecting piece – focuses signal into the LNB
assembly and / or focuses the transmission signal towards the satellite.
• Feed horn – Device to accept the focused RF signals into the LNB or
conversely to output the RF signal to the satellite.
• Power amplifier – Device that accepts a signal from the modem and
boosts it to a suitable level for onward transmission to the satellite.
• Modem – Converts a data signal to one suitable for transmission to the

satellite.
• Up Converter– Converts the modulated signals from IF to RF frequency

• Down Converter– Converts the modulated signals from RF to IF
frequency.
• Mounting – Some form of mounting to hold the antenna assembly

vertical and pointed correctly under most normal condition
14
Satellite Link Parameters

❑ The communications satellite link is defined by several
basic parameters, some used in traditional
communications system definitions, others unique to the
satellite environment. The figure summarizes the
parameters used in the evaluation of satellite
communications links
❑ A channel is defined as the one-way total link from A-

to-S-to-B, OR the link from B-to-S-to-A. The duplex
(two-way) links A-to-S-to-B AND B-to-S-to-A establish
a circuit between the two stations. A half-circuit is
defined as the two links at one of the earth stations, that
is A-to-S AND S-to-A; OR B-to-S AND S-to-B.
15
16
Uplink Block Diagram
Downlink Block Diagram
17

❑ The transponder is the electronics part in the
satellite that receives the uplink signal,
amplifies and possibly processes the signal,
and then reformats and transmits the signal
back to the ground.
❑ This is the equipment which provides the
connecting link between the satellite’s transmit
and receive antennas. It forms one of the main
sections of the payload, the other being the
antenna subsystems.
❑ Typically satellites have between 12 and 72 transponders. A single transponder is capable of handling up to
155 million bits of information per second. (155 Mbps).
18
Frequency Band Designations

Letter Band Frequency Designations
❑ L–Band: 1 to 2 GHz, used by mobile satellite service (MSS)
❑ S-Band: 2 to 4 GHz, used by MSS, NASA, deep space research
❑ C-Band: 4 to 8 GHz, used by fixed satellite service (FSS)
❑ X-Band: 8 to 12.5 GHz, used by FSS and in terrestrial imaging, e.g:
military and meteorological satellites
❑ Ku-Band: 12.5 to 18 GHz: used by FSS and broadcasting satellite
service (BSS) direct broadcast satellite (DBS)
❑ K-Band: 18 to 26.5 GHz: used by FSS and BSS
❑ Ka-Band: 26.5 to 40 GHz: used by FSS
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ITU-R definitions of satellite services
❑ Satellite applications are based on the basic satellite services. Due to the nature of radio communications, the satellite
services are limited by the available radio frequency bands.
❑ Various satellite services have been defined, including fixed satellite service (FSS), mobile satellite service (MSS) and
broadcasting satellite service (BSS) by the ITU Radiocommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-R) for the purpose of
bandwidth allocation, planning and management.
ITU-R definitions of satellite services - FSS

❑ The FSS is defined as a radio communication service between a given position on the earth’s surface when one or more
satellites are used.
❑ FSS provides Links for existing Telephone Networks used for transmitting television signals to cable companies.
20
ITU-R definitions of satellite services - FSS

❑ These stations at the earth surface are called earth stations of FSS.
❑ Stations located on board satellites, mainly consisting of the satellite transponders and associated antennas, are called space
stations of the FSS.
❑ Communications between earth stations are through one satellite or more satellites interconnected through ISL. It is also
possible to have two satellites interconnected through a common earth station without an ISL.
❑ FSS also includes feeder links such as the link between a fixed earth station and satellite for BSS and MSS.
❑ The FSS supports all types of telecommunication and data network services such as telephony, fax, data, video, TV, Internet
and radio. Basically they are Telephony, Satellite Television and Data Transmission Services.
ITU-R definitions of satellite services - MSS

❑ The MSS is defined as a radio communication service between mobile earth stations/terminals and one or more satellites.
❑ Due to mobility requirements, mobile earth terminals are often small, and some are even handheld terminals.
❑ This includes services for: Land Mobile Maritime Mobile Aeronautical mobile.
21
ITU-R definitions of satellite services - BSS
❑ The BSS is a radio communication service in which signals transmitted or retransmitted by satellites are intended for direct
reception by the general public using a TV receiving only antenna (TVRO).
❑ The satellites implemented for the BSS are often called direct broadcast satellites (DBS).
❑ The direct receptions include individual direct to home (DTH) and community antenna television (CATV).
❑ The new generation of BSS may also have a return link via satellite. Provides Direct Broadcast to homes.
Other satellite services

❑ Some other satellite services are designed for specific applications such as military, radio determination, navigation,
meteorology, earth surveys and space exploration.
22
Components of
DBS System
23
Frequency Band (GHz) Designations - FSS
❑ The FSS makes use of the following bands:

❑ C-band: 4.0 - 8.0 (GHz)
❑ Around 6GHz for the uplink and around 4GHz for the downlink (systems described as 6/4GHz or C band). These bands
are occupied by the oldest systems (such as INTELSAT, American domestic systems etc.) and tend to be saturated.
❑ Around 8GHz for the uplink and around 7GHz for the downlink (systems described as 8/7GHz or X band). These bands
are reserved, by agreement between administrations, for government use.
❑ Around 14GHz for the uplink and around 12GHz or 11 GHz for the downlink (systems described as 14/12GHz, 14/11 GHz
or Ku band). This corresponds to current operational developments (such as EUTELSAT, etc.).
❑ Around 30GHz for the uplink and around 20GHz for the downlink (systems described as 30/20GHz or Ka band). These
bands are raising interest due to large available bandwidth and little interference due to present rather limited use.
❑ The bands above 30GHz will be used eventually in accordance with developing requirements and technology.
24
Frequency Band (GHz) Designations - MSS
❑ The MSS makes use of the following bands:
❑ VHF: 0.1-0.3 GHZ ---Mobile & Navigational Satellite Services
❑ L-band: 1.0-2.0 GHz --- Mobile & Navigational Satellite Services
❑ VHF (very high frequency, 148–150 MHz uplink and 137–138 MHz downlink) and UHF (ultra-high frequency, 454–
460MHz uplink and 400– 401 MHz downlink). These bands are for non-geostationary systems only.
❑ About 1.6 GHz for uplinks and 1.5 GHz for downlinks, mostly used by geostationary systems such as INMARSAT; and
1610–1626.5 MHz for the uplink of non-geostationary systems such as GLOBALSTAR.
❑ About 2.2 GHz for uplinks and 2 GHz for downlinks for the satellite component of IMT2000 (International Mobile
Telecommunications).
25
Frequency Band (GHz) Designations - BSS

❑ The BSS makes use:
❑ Ku-band: 12.0 -18.0 GHz
Table 1: Summary of the main frequency allocation with their
❑ Downlinks at about 12 GHz
corresponding satellite services
❑ The uplink is operated in the FSS
bands and is called a feeder link.
26
Frequency Band Designations
❑ A second designation divides the spectrum from 3 Hz Wavelength Frequency band designations
to 300 GHz into bands based on decade steps of

nominal wavelength, as shown.
❑ This designation is less ambiguous than the letter

designation, however, most satellite communications
links operate within only three or four of the bands,
VHF through EHF, with the vast majority of systems
in the SHF band.
27

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COURE TITLE: SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS

COURSE CODE: EEE 524

Part 1: Introduction to Satellite Communications

❑ Early History of Satellite Communications

❑ Satellite Communications Segments

❑ Satellite Link Parameters

❑ Satellite Frequency Band Designations

Early History of Satellite Communications

Early History of Satellite Communications

❑ A communications satellite is an orbiting

Other Types of Artificial Satellites

❑ Earth Observation Satellites

Basics: How do Satellites Work

• Two Stations on Earth want to

• The two stations can use a satellite as a

• One Earth Station sends a transmission to

• The satellite Transponder converts the

Block Diagram of a Communication Satellite

Advantages and Disadvantages of satellite communications

❑ High Capacity / High carrier frequencies ❑ Launching satellites into orbit is

❑ Diverse User Networks

Satellite Communications Segments

❑ A telecommunications satellite comprises:

❑ The ground station is variously referred to as the Tracking,

❑ The TTC&M station provides essential spacecraft management and

❑ TTC&M links may operate in the same frequency bands or in other

• Modem – Converts a data signal to one suitable for transmission to the

• Up Converter– Converts the modulated signals from IF to RF frequency

• Mounting – Some form of mounting to hold the antenna assembly

Satellite Link Parameters

❑ A channel is defined as the one-way total link from A-

Satellite Link Parameters

Satellite Link Parameters

Uplink Block Diagram

Downlink Block Diagram

Satellite Link Parameters

Frequency Band Designations

ITU-R definitions of satellite services

ITU-R definitions of satellite services - FSS

ITU-R definitions of satellite services - FSS

ITU-R definitions of satellite services - MSS

ITU-R definitions of satellite services - BSS

Other satellite services

Frequency Band (GHz) Designations - FSS

❑ The FSS makes use of the following bands:

Frequency Band (GHz) Designations - MSS

❑ The MSS makes use of the following bands:

❑ VHF: 0.1-0.3 GHZ ---Mobile & Navigational Satellite Services

❑ L-band: 1.0-2.0 GHz --- Mobile & Navigational Satellite Services

Frequency Band (GHz) Designations - BSS

Frequency Band Designations

to 300 GHz into bands based on decade steps of

❑ This designation is less ambiguous than the letter

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