David Tung Chong Wong
7 March 2014
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
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Contents
 Introduction
 History
 Satellite Communications Characteristics
 Spectrum
 Applications in Satellites
 Satellite Orbits
 Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO)
 Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
 Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
 Elliptical Orbit (EO)
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Contents
 GEO Satellite Networks
 Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) Network
 Inmarsat Network
 International Telecommunication Satellite Organization
(INTELSAT) Network
 European Telecommunication Satellite Organization
(EUTELSAT)
 Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS)
 THURAYA Satellite
 Indian National Satellite
 ViaSAT-1
 EchoStar XVII (Jupiter 1) Satellite
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Contents
 MEO Satellite Constellations
 US GPS
 Russian GLONASS
 European Galileo
 China Beidou 2/Compass
 LEO Satellite Networks
 Iridium Satellite Network
 GlobalStar Network
 Elliptical Orbit Satellite Network
 ELLIPSO Network
 Data Relay Satellites
 European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS)
 Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)
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Contents
 High-Altitude Platforms (HAPs)
 High-Altitude Balloons (HABs)
 Earth Observing Satellites
 Pico-Satellite (1 Kg or less)
 Nano-Satellite (between 1 Kg to 10 Kg)
 Micro-Satellite (between 10 Kg to 100 Kg)
 Mini-Satellite (between 100 Kg and 500 Kg)
 Satellites between 500 Kg to 1000 Kg
 Formation Flying Satellites/Satellite Swarm/Fractionated
Satellites
 Conclusions
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Introduction
 This presentation presents introductory information for
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Satellite Networks/Constellations.
The presentation covers basic satellite communications
characteristics, spectrum and applications.
The presentation also covers GEO, MEO and LEO
networks/constellations.
Data Relay Satellites are also presented.
The presentation also covers earth observation satellites in
the LEO.
Formation flying satellites, satellite swarm and
fractionated satellites are also covered in this presentation.
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History
 The launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union started the
era of satellites in 1957 [1].
 Its communication capabilities were very limited.
 NASA launched AT&T Telstar 1 in 1962.
 It has real-time two-way communications and can
relay either 600 voice channels or a single television
channel.
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Satellite Communications
Characteristics
 Wide coverage
 Very weak received signal
 Broadcast capability
 Long transmission delay
 Security
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Spectrum
Radar-frequency bands according to IEEE standard
Band
designation
HF
VHF
UHF
L
S
Spectrum
Frequency range
3 to 30 MHz
30 to 300 MHz
300 to 1000 MHz
1 to 2 GHz
2 to 4 GHz
C
4 to 8 GHz
X
8 to 12 GHz
Ku
K
Ka
V
W
mm
12 to 18 GHz
18 to 27 GHz
27 to 40 GHz
40 to 75 GHz
75 to 110 GHz
110 to 300 GHz
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Applications in Satellites
 Voice telephony
 Internet access
 Television services
 Overlaid cellular networks by satellite coverage
 Worldwide coverage systems
 Connectivity for aircraft passengers
 Global positioning systems (GPS)
 Earth Observation and Remote Sensing
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Satellite Orbits
GEO
MEO
LEO
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EO
Figure 1. Satellite Orbits
Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO): Orbital radius of 35784 km
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): Height of 5000-15000 km above the Earth’s
surface
Low Earth Orbit (LEO): Height of 100-1000 km above the Earth’s surface
Elliptical Orbit (EO): The satellite height above the Earth’s surface is lower near
the perigee than that near the apogee
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Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO)
 Orbital radius of 35784 km
 Orbit time of 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds to
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match angular speed of the Earth
No atmospheric friction
Wide coverage
High deployment costs
High propagation delay: about 250 to 280 ms
High path loss: increased transmission power and
antennae sizes with powerful transmitters
Static position
Reduced coverage at high latitudes
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Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
 Height of 5000-15000 km above the Earth’s surface
 Orbit time of several hours
 Moderate propagation delay
 Greater lifetime than LEOs
 Increased coverage compared to LEOs
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Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
 Height of 100-1000 km above the Earth’s surface
 Orbit time of 90-120 minutes
 Low deployment cost
 Very short propagation delays
 Very small path loss
 Short lifetime
 Small coverage
 Small line of site (LOS) times
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Elliptical Earth Orbit (EO)
 The satellite height above the Earth’s surface is lower near the
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perigee than that near the apogee
The satellite orbital speed is higher near the perigee than that
near the apogee
The satellite remains visible for a small period of time near the
perigee but for a long period of time near the apogee.
It has the properties of a LEO system near the perigee (low
propagation delay, low LOS times) and the properties of a GEO
system near the apogee (high propagation time, high LOS times)
Such systems have use in the north and south regions of Earth to
provide high LOS times
Such areas cannot be effectively service by GEO satellites as the
orbit above the equator
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GEO Satellite Networks
 Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) Network
 Inmarsat Network
 International Telecommunication Satellite Organization
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(INTELSAT) Network
European Telecommunication Satellite Organization
(EUTELSAT)
Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS)
THURAYA Satellite
Indian National Satellite
ViaSAT-1
EchoStar XVII (Jupiter 1) Satellite
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Very Small Aperture Terminals
(VSAT) Network
VSAT A
Hub
VSAT B
Figure 2. A star architecture for VSAT network with the earth station acting as a
hub
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Very Small Aperture Terminals
(VSAT) Network
VSAT A
VSAT B
Figure 3. VSAT architecture with the hub incorporated in the satellite
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Very Small Aperture Terminals
(VSAT) Network
 The access techniques are pure ALOHA, slotted
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ALOHA and ALOHA/TDMA combination.
It has a data speed of 100 bps to 9.6 kbps or higher (up
to 56 Kbps).
The number of user terminals is 250-5000.
The network coverage is in USA.
The satellite operates in the Ku band.
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Inmarsat Network
 Inmarsat is founded in 1979 [1].
 It serves the maritime community, providing ship management and
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distress and safety application via satellite.
Commercial services started in 1982.
Now, its range of delivered services includes land and aeronautical
market sectors.
In 1990, Inmarsat had 64 member countries.
In April 1999, it became a limited company with its headquarter based
in London.
The INMARSAT system consists of:
 Space segment of GEO satellites deployed over the Atlantic (East
(AOR-E) and West (AOR-W)), Pacific (POR) and Indian Ocean regions
(IOR)
 About 40 Land Earth Stations (LESs)
 Mobile Earth Stations (MESs)
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Inmarsat Network
 Inmarsat leased 3 MARISATs from Comsat General to
start its service.
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Inmarsat-2
 4 Inmarsat-2 satellites were launched between 1990
and 1992.
 The space to mobile links operates in the L/S bands
(1.6 GHz in the uplink and 1.5 GHz in the downlink),
while the space to Earth links operated in the C/S
bands (6.4 GHz in the uplink and 3.6 GHz in the
downlink).
 The satellites has a launch mass of 1300 kg and an orbit
mass of 800 kg.
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Inmarsat-3
 Inmarsat-3 satellites employ spot beam technology to
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increase equivalent isotropically radiated power
(EIRP) and frequency reuse capabilities.
Each of the satellite has a global beam and five spot
beams.
These satellites also carry a navigation payload to
enhance GPS and GLONASS satellite navigation
systems.
Each satellite has a mass of 2068 kg.
These satellites are for existing and evolved services
only.
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Inmarsat-4
 An Inmarsat-4 satellite has a launch mass of 5960 kg.
 These satellites are for Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN),
Signalling, Protocols and Switching (SPS) and leased services.
 Following the launch of Inmarsat’s fourth-generation satellites
(Inmarsat-4) in 2005, the company introduced the Broadband
Global Area Network (BGAN) service which supports circuit and
packet data at a throughput of up to ∼0.5 Mbps on a variety of
portable and mobile platforms.
 The L-band service link operates in right-hand circular
polarization in the frequency range 1626.5–1660.5 MHz in the
forward link (Earth–space) and 1525–1559 MHz in the return link
(space–Earth).
 The throughput has a maximum rate of ∼492 kbps in the forward
direction and ∼330 kbps in the return direction.
Sentences in italics are direct quotes from sources or Wikipedia Online.
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Inmarsat-4
 It achieves high efficiency by optimally combining turbo
codes, 16-QAM and QPSK modulation schemes, intelligent
radio resource management and powerful software-enabled
transceivers capable of near-Shannon-limit efficiencies.
 Channel throughput ranges between ∼2 kbps and ∼0.5
Mbps, depending on User Terminal class, location, received
signal quality, the operating beam and transmission
direction.
 FDM/TDM access scheme is used in the forward direction
and FDM/TDMA scheme in the return direction.
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Inmarsat-5
 An Inmarsat-5 satellite is launched in December, 2013.
 It has a launch mass of 5900 kg and an orbit mass of 3750 kg.
 Each Inmarsat-5 satellite carries 89 Ka-band beams with flexible
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global coverage.
It will provide high-data-rate mobile communications services.
More Inmarsat-5 satellites will be launched.
The new satellites will join Inmarsat's fleet of geostationary
satellites that provide a wide range of voice and data services
through an established global network of distributors and service
providers [2].
Imarsat-5 F1, the first of four Boeing-built Inmarsat-5 satellites,
was successfully launched on December 8, 2013.
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Inmarsat-5
 Each Inmarsat-5 satellite will carry 89 Ka-band beams that will
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operate in geosynchronous orbit with flexible global coverage.
The satellites are designed to generate approximately 15 kilowatts
of power at the start of service and approximately 13.8 kilowatts
at the end of their 15-year design life.
To generate such high power, each spacecraft's two solar wings
employ five panels each of ultra triple-junction gallium arsenide
solar cells.
The Boeing 702 HP carries the xenon ion propulsion system
(XIPS) for all on-orbit maneuvering.
When operational, the Inmarsat-5 satellites will provide Inmarsat
with a comprehensive range of global mobile satellite services,
including mobile broadband communications for deep-sea
vessels, in-flight connectivity for airline passengers and
streaming high-resolution video, voice and data.
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Inmarsat-5
 In a separate arrangement, Boeing also entered into a
distribution partnership with Inmarsat to provide Land Ka-band capacity services to key users within the
U.S. government.
 Leveraging Boeing's expertise in government
environments and applications, the Inmarsat-5
satellites will provide Inmarsat's customers with an
array of secure voice and high-speed communications
applications between land, sea and air services, and
multinational coalition.
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Inmarsat-6
 Inmarsat is planning for Inmarsat-6 satellite for the L-
band.
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Inmarsat-A
 A voice service occupies the band 300-3000 Hz using single
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channel per carrier frequency modulation (SCPC/FM).
Data rates of up to 19.2 kbps and facsimile service at a rate
up to 14.4 kbps are possible with BPSK modulation.
Data rate of 64 kbps is possible with QPSK modulation.
A terminal requests a channel to establish a call using
ALOHA protocol at 4.8 kbps (BPSK modulated).
Inmarsat-A operates in the 1636.5-1645 MHz transmit band
and 1535-1543.5 MHz receive band.
There is a 50-kHz spacing for voice channels and a 25-kHz
spacing for data channels.
Inmarsat-A terminals are no longer produced.
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Inmarsat-B
 It was introduced in 1993 to provide a digital version of Inmarsat-A
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voice service.
Voice is generated at 16 kbps using Adaptive Predictive Coding (APC)
with ¾ convolutional code, increasing the channel rate to 24 kbps.
The signal is modulated using offset-QPSK modulation.
Data rates are between 2.4 and 9.6 kbps, while facsimile rates are 9.6
kbps using offset-QPSK modulation.
Inmarsat-B high speed data services offer 64 kbps to marine and land
users and provide the capability to connect to the ISDN via an
appropriately connect Land Earth Station.
A terminal requests a channel to establish call by transmitting a 24
kbps offset-QPSK modulated signal using ALOHA protocol.
BPSK TDM channels are assigned.
Inmarsat-B operates in the 1626.5-1646.5 MHz transmit band and 15251545 MHz receive band.
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Inmarsat-C
 Iinmarsat-C terminals provide low data rate services at a
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transmission rate of 1200 bps (half-rate convolutional coding of
constraint length 7).
It uses a 2.5-kHz bandwidth and signals are transmitted using
BPSK modulation.
Small and lightweight terminals are used to operate with an
omni-directional antenna.
The return request channel uses ALOHA protocol with BPSK
modulated signals at 600 kbps.
Channels are assigned using a TDM BPSK modulated signal.
Inmarsat-C operates in the 1626.5-1645.5 MHz transmit band and
1530-1545 MHz receive band, using 5 kHz increments.
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Inmarsat-D+
 The newer INMARSAT-D+ terminals are the
equivalent of a two-way pager.
 The main use of this technology nowadays is in
tracking trucks and buoys and supervisory control and
data acquisition (SCADA).
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Inmarsat-E
 Inmarsat-E system used to provide global maritime
distress alerting service but is no longer in used.
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Inmarsat-M
 INMARSAT-M provides voice telephony of 4.8 kbps with improved
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multi-band excitation coding (IMBE).
Increased transmission rate of 8 kbps is possible after ¾ rate
convolutional coding.
On top of this, 1.2-2.4 kbps data service and 2.4 kbps facsimile service
are provided.
The return request channel uses slotted-ALOHA protocol at 3 kbps
with BPSK modulated signals.
Channel are assigned using a TDM BPSK modulated signal.
Inmarsat-C maritime operates in the 1626.5-1646.5 MHz transmit band
and 1525-1545 MHz receive band, using 10 kHz channel spacing.
Inmarsat-C land operates in the 1626.5-1660.5 MHz transmit band and
1525-1559 MHz receive band, using 10 kHz channel spacing.
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Inmarsat-Mini-M
 Inmarsat Mini-M terminals are smaller than those of
Inmarsat-M.
 Rural phone, vehicular and maritime versions are
available.
 Terminals are less than 5 kg.
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Global Access Network (GAN)
 GAN is launched in 1999.
 The aim of GAN was to provide mobile ISDN and mobile-
Internet protocol (IP) services.
 The services supported were 64 kbps high speed data
services, 4.8 kbps voice using advanced multi-band
excitation coding and analogue voice-band modem
services.
 The channel rates are 5.6 and 65.2 kbps with 5 kHz channel
spacing and 40 kHz channel spacing, respectively.
 Terminals operate in the 1626.5-1660.5 MHz transmit band
and 1525-1559 MHz receive band.
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Regional Broadband GAN (R-BGAN)
 R-BGAN was an IP-based, shared carrier service
offered on a regional basis.
 The service was superseded by BGAN and was
withdrawn at the end of 2008 [2].
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Broadband GAN (BGAN)
 The "BGAN Family" is a set of IP-based shared-carrier
services, as follows [3] (Direct Quotes):
 BGAN: Broadband Global Area Network for use on land.
BGAN service is available globally on all Inmarsat-4 satellites.
 FleetBroadband (FB): A maritime service, FleetBroadband is
based on BGAN technology. A range of Fleet Broadband user
terminals are available, designed for fitting on ships.
 SwiftBroadband (SB): An aeronautical service,
SwiftBroadband is based on BGAN. SB terminals are
specifically designed for use aboard commercial, private, and
military aircraft.
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New projects underway
 Global Xpress
 Inmarsat's foray into S-band, mobile services
 Europasat
 Alphasat for extended L-band services
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Global Xpress
 In August 2010 INMARSAT awarded Boeing a contract to build a constellation of
three Inmarsat-5 satellites, as part of a US$1.2 billion worldwide wireless
broadband network called INMARSAT Global Xpress.
 The three Inmarsat-5 (I-5) satellites will be based on Boeing's 702 HP spacecraft
platform.
 The first is scheduled for completion in 2013, with full global coverage expected
by the end of 2014.
 The satellites will operate at Ka-band in the range of 20–30 GHz.
 Each Inmarsat-5 will carry a payload of 89 small Ka-band beams which
combined will offer global Ka-band spot coverage.
 In addition each satellite will carry six fully steerable beams that can be pointed
at commercial or government traffic hotspots.
 According to Inmarsat, Global Xpress will deliver download speeds in excess of
60 Mbps to a 60 cm dish.
 As a result of Global Xpress wide coverage satellites' bandwidth of only 12 Gbps
each will be moderate compared to Ka band satellites with a narrower footprint.
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Global Xpress
 There are plans to offer high-speed inflight broadband on
airliners through Global Xpress.
 In February 2011 Inmarsat announced that iDirect had been
awarded the contract to provide both the ground segment
and the 'core module' that provides the key electronics in the
new GX maritime (and later for other markets) terminals.
 iDirect was already established as the leading player in the
maritime VSAT field and the award of this contract
confirmed their dominance of this market.
 The proposed GX system will deliver data at rates of up to 50
Mbps - an order of magnitude faster than existing VSAT
systems using C-band or Ku-band satellite capacity and two
orders faster than the existing L-band services.
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Inmarsat's foray into S-band,
mobile services
 On 30 June 2008 the European Parliament and the Council adopted the
European’s Decision to establish a single selection and authorisation process
(ESAP – European S-band Application Process) to ensure a coordinated
introduction of mobile satellite services (MSS) in Europe.
 The selection process was launched in August 2008 and attracted four
applications by prospective operators (ICO, Inmarsat, Solaris Mobile, TerreStar).
 In May 2009, the European Commission selected two operators, Inmarsat
Ventures and Solaris Mobile, giving these operators “the right to use the specific
radio frequencies identified in the Commission's decision and the right to
operate their respective mobile satellite systems".
 EU Member States now have to ensure that the two operators have the right to
use the specific radio frequencies identified in the Commission's decision and the
right to operate their respective mobile satellite systems for 18 years from the
selection decision.
 The operators are compelled to start operations within 24 months (May 2011)
from the selection decision.
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Europasat
 Inmarsat's S-band satellite programme, called EuropaSat,
will deliver mobile multimedia broadcast, mobile two-way
broadband telecommunications and next-generation mobile
satellite services (MSS) across all 27 member states of the
European Union and as far east as Moscow and Ankara
(capital of Turkey) by means of a hybrid satellite/terrestrial
network.
 It will be built by Thales Alenia Space and launched in early
2011 launched by ILS. T
 he EuropaSat has been put on hold in late 2009.
 Inmarsat instead plans to seek external investors to fund the
project, and ultimately to spin it off as a separate company.
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Alphasat for extended L-band
services
 Launched on 25 July 2013, Alphasat I-XL was carried into orbit by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket
from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
 The satellite was built by Astrium using an Alphabus platform and weighed more than six
tons at launch.
 The new-generation Alphasat I-XL will be positioned at 25 degrees East to offer advanced
mobile voice and data communications services across Europe, Africa and the Middle East
using L-Band.
 It features a new generation digital signal processor for the payload, a 11-meter aperture
AstroMesh antenna reflector, supplied by Astro Aerospace in Carpenteria, CA.
 Its design life is 15 years.
 In addition, Alphasat will host four ESA-provided technology demonstration payloads:
 an advanced star tracker using active pixel technology,
 an optical laser terminal for geostationary to low-Earth orbit communication at high data
rates,
 a dedicated payload for the characterization of transmission performance in the Q-V band
in preparation for possible commercial exploitation of these frequencies and
 a radiation sensor to better characterise the environment at geostationary orbit.
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International Telecommunication Satellite
Organization (INTELSAT) Network
 INTELSAT is formed in 1964 [4].
 INTELSAT limited is the world’s largest commercial
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satellite communications service provider.
It provides international communication services from
voice, video and data to the telecom, broadcast,
government and other communications market.
At least 10 series of INTESAT satellites have been launched.
Its satellite transmission capabilities range from 1
transponder (240 circuits or one TV channel) to 45 C band
and 16 Ku band transponders.
Its services cover almost every country.
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European Telecommunication
Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT)
 The EUTELSAT organization was founded in 1977 to commission the
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design and construction of satellites and to manage the operations of
regional satellites communication services in Europe [4].
The first satellite launched was the orbital test satellite (OTS) in 1978.
In 1983, ECS-1 satellite is launched to provide communications services
to post office and telecommunication administration and to broadcast
TV programmes.
The ECS satellite programme was renamed the EUTELSAT satellite
programme.
EUTELSAT satellites provide TV, telephony, and data transmission
services on a regional basis.
Business communication services and mobile communications services
are also provided by more advanced satellites in this series.
Other series of satellites include Atlantic Bird series, Eurobird series,
Hot Bird series, SESAT series.
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Atlantic Bird Satellites
 Atlantic Bird Satellites provide video, IP and data
communication services to Europe, the Middle East
and North African market.
 Its transmission capabilities range from 24 Ku band
transponders, 26 Ku band transponders, 35 Ku band
and 10 C band transponders to 64 Ku band
transponders.
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Eutelsat Satellites
 Eutelsat satellites have sub-series of Eutelsat-F1,
Eutelsat-F2 and Eutelsat-W sub-series.
 Eutelsat-1 sub-series are currently not operational.
 Eutelsat-2 sub-series has transmission capability of 16
(+8) Ku band transponders for each satellite.
 Eutelsat-W sub-series transmission capabilities range
from 28 Ku band transponders, 24 Ku band
transponders, 31 Ku band transponders to 38 Ku band
transponders and 2 Ka band transponders.
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Eurobird Satellites
 Eurobird satellites provide broadcasting and
telecommunication services primarily to the Western
and Central Europe region.
 Its transmission capabilities range from 24 (+6) Ku
band transponders, 20 Ku band transponders, 28 Ku
band transponders to 38 Ku band transponders.
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Hot Bird Satellites
 Hot Bird satellites provide TV services to Europe,
North Africa and large parts of the Middle East.
 Radio and multimedia services are also provided over a
large coverage area.
 Its transmission capabilities range from 16 (+8) Ku
band transponders, 20 Ku band transponders, 28 Ku
band transponders, 38 Ku band transponders to 64 Ku
band transponders.
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Siberia-Europe Satellites (SESAT)
Satellites
 SESAT satellites provide a vast telecommunication services.
 It covers Atlantic Ocean to Eastern Russia, as well as India.
 SESAT-1 provides international, regional and domestic
services.
 Its transmission capability is 18 Ku band transponders.
 SESAT-2 provides high power Ku band services over
Europe, Africa, Middle East and Central Asia.
 Its transmission capability is 24 Ku band transponders, out
of which 12 are leased out to Eutelsat.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
52
Planned Future Satellites for Eutelsat
Table 1: Planned future satellites for
Eutelsat satellites [4] (direct Quotes)
Satellite
Location
Eutelsat 3B
Eutelsat 9B
Eutelsat 8 West B
SATMEX 7
SATMEX 9
Eutelsat 65 West A
Regions served
Africa, Middle East, Central
3°E
Asia, South America
9°E
Europe
8°W
Africa, Middle East
114.9°W
Americas
116.8°W
Americas
65°W
Americas
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
Launch
2014
2014
2015
2015
2015
2016
53
Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS)
 The ACeS provides services to a region bounded by Japan in the east,





Pakistan in the West, North China in the North and Indonesia in the
South [6].
The area is coverage by a single coverage beam in the C band and a total
of 140 spot beams in the L bands.
GARUDA-1 is the first ACeS satellite launched in 2000.
It supports at 11000 voice channels.
It also allows single hop mobile-to-mobile calls with on-broad
switching and routing of calls.
The network consists of a network control centre (NCC), satellite
control facility (SCF), user terminals and regional gateways.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
54
Asia Cellular Satellite (ACeS)
 The NCC and SCF are co-located in Batam Island, Indonesia.
 The NCC and the gateways operate in the C/S bands, with Earth
to Space link in the 6425-6725 MHz and the Space to Earth link
in the 3400-3700 MHz.
 Facsimile, voice and data service are provided to terminal users
in the L/S bands, with the Earth to Space link in the 1626.51660.5 MHz and the Space to Earth link in the 1525-1559 MHz.
 Terminals can be mobile, handheld or fixed. Mobile and
handheld terminals allow dual-mode operations with the GSM
network.
 The company has ceased its operation in Indonesia as of 2011,
with most of its remaining assets fell into Inmarsat's hand [7].
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
55
THURAYA Satellite
 The THURAYA satellite, THURAYA-1, is launched in 2000 [6].
 It services the Middle East and Asian markets.
 It can support 13750 calls.
 THUYARA is compatible with the GSM network.
 The network supports facsimile, voice and data at rates, 4.8, 2.4 and 9.6 kbps,




respectively.
The satellite provides between 250 and 300 spot beams over the coverage area.
FDMA/TDMA multiple access is used with QPSK modulation.
The mobile link operates in the L/S bands, with the Earth to Space link in the
1626.5-1660.5 MHz and the Space to Earth link in the 1525-1559 MHz.
The feeder links operates in the C/S bands, with the Earth to Space link in the
6425-6725 MHz and the Space to Earth link in the 3400-3625 MHz.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
56
Indian National Satellite (INSAT)
 INSAT is a joint venture of Department of Space,
Department of telecommunications Indian
Meteorological Department, All India Radio and
Doordashan.
 Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster.
 INSAT satellite transmission capabilities range from 12
C band and 2 S band transponders and a very high
resolution radiometer meteorological payload to 12 C
band and 12 Ku band transponders.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
57
ViaSAT-1 Satellite





ViaSAT-1 satellite is owned by ViaSAT [8].
It is launched in 2011.
Its launch mass is 6740 kg.
It has a total capacity in excess of 140 Gbps.
ViaSAT-1 satellite covers US and Canada: 72 Ka band spot
beams covers US and 9 Ka band spot beams covers Canada.
 The Canadian beams are owned by satellite operator
Telesat.
 They will be used for Xplornet broadband services to
consumers in rural Canada.
 The US beams will provide fast Internet access called
Exede.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
58
EchoStar XVII (Jupiter 1) Satellite
 EchoStar XVII satellite is launched in 2012 [9].
 It is operated by Hughes Network, a subsidiary of
EchoStar.
 Its launch mass is 6100 kg.
 It carries 60 Ka band (NATO K band) transponder.
 It will be used to cover North America.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
59
MEO Satellite Constellations
Figure 4. Global Positioning System





US GPS
Russian GLONASS
European Galileo
China Beidou 2/Compass
The above MEO satellite constellations are used for global
positioning.
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LEO Satellite Networks
 Iridium Satellite Network
 GlobalStar Network
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Iridium Satellite Network
 The Iridium was started by Motorola in the early 1990s [1].
 It offers coverage to every place on Earth through a dense





constellation of LEO satellites.
Its functionality also enables intra-satellite communication
for relaying of control signalling and phone calls.
Iridium uses 66 LEO satellites.
Each of them is about 700 kg.
Their orbit heights are 780 km above the Earth’s surface.
Their orbital period is 100 minutes.
In the original design, there are 77 satellites and hence the
name Iridium.
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62
Iridium Satellite Network








Iridium satellites are divided into 6 polar orbital planes.
Each plane has 11 satellites.
Each orbit has an inclination of 86.5 with respect to the equator.
Co-rotating planes are spaced 31.6° apart, while counter-rotating
planes are spaced 22° apart.
Each satellite maintains up to 4 inter-satellite links (ISLs).
Two permanent links are for adjacent satellites in its plane, while
the other two dynamic links are for satellites in the adjacent
orbital planes.
Satellites in planes 1 and 6 are exceptions and they maintain only
3 ISLs.
ISLs operate at a link speed of 25 Mbps at frequencies between
22.5 and 23.5 GHz.
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63
Iridium Satellite Network
 There are 48 beams per satellites, resulting in 3168 beams for 66








satellites.
However, only 2150 beams are used to provide global coverage.
Iridium uses frequency reuse with a reuse factor of 12.
It uses a combination of TDMA and FDMA as its multiple access
technique both for the uplink and downlink.
QPSK modulation is used.
The system spectrum is 1616-1625.5 MHz. 10 Mhz band is used for 240
41.67 kHz channels with 2 kHz guard bands, totalling 500 MHz.
The TDMA scheme has 90 ms frames, each with 4 pair of slots
supporting 4 full-duplex channels at a rate of 4.8 kbps.
Half-duplex channels are supported at 2.4 kbps.
The specific details of the TDMA frame structure and the nature of the
voice codec were not published in the open literature.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
64
Iridium Satellite Network
 Two system control facilities are used for maintaining




control of the constellation of the 66 satellites.
Gateways or earth stations interface Iridium to the
external communications networks.
They also perform operations like subscriber location,
billing and setup.
Call management also make use of the concept of
home gateway and visitor gateway as shown in Figure
5.
Call setup in Iridium is very similar to the AMPS
system.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
65
Iridium Satellite Network
3
3
3
3
4
4
…
4
3
4
4
1
4
3
2
Iridium
terminal
Figure 5. Subscriber location in Iridium
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
66
GlobalStar Network
 The GlobalStar project was launched in 1991 as a joint





venture of Loral Corporation and Qualcomm [10].
GlobalStar is a satellite-based telephony and data network
[1].
The operation of GLobalStar depends on a Globalstar
gateway in the range of the satellite that serves the user.
The satellite orbit heights are 1400 km above the Earth’s
surface.
No ISLs are used.
The gateway is used to connect the users as shown in Fig. 6.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
67
.
GlobalStar Network
4
2
5
1
3
Globalstar
subscriber
GlobalStar gateway
GlobalStar gateway
Globalstar
subscriber
Figure 6. Operation of GlobalStar
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
68
GlobalStar Network
 The mobile-to-satellite link is at 1.61-1.62 GHz, while the








satellite-to-mobile link is at 2.48-2.5 GHz.
The gateway-to-satellite link is at 5.09-5.25 GHz, while the
satellite-to-gateway link is 6.7-7.08 GHz.
GlobalStar satellites are divided into 8 orbital planes.
Each plane has 6 satellites.
Each orbit has an inclination of 52° with respect to the equator.
Each satellite uses 16 beams and the same frequencies are reused
within each beam.
GlobalStar uses CDMA as its medium access technique.
Its gateway is a special earth station.
It also uses soft handoff.
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69
Elliptical Orbit Satellite Network
 ELLIPSO Network
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70
ELLIPSO Network
 ELLIPSO wanted to use satellites in elliptical orbit as
part of it constellation [7].
 However, it has non-operation services with no
launched satellites.
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71
Data Relay Satellites
 European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS)
 Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)
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72
European Data Relay Satellite
(EDRS)
Ka Band: up to
300 Mbps
Optical: up to
1.8 Gbps
GEO
LEO
Figure 7. EDRS




EDRS system is under implementation [14].
Satellite launch is planned for end 2014 and early 2016.
A LEO satellite has a short time for LEO-to-ground communications.
However, a GEO satellite has 24 hours GEO-to-ground communications; but has a slower download data rate than that
of a LEO satellite.
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73
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
(TDRS)
GEO
Figure 8. TDRS
 TDRS-A to TDRS-L [15].
 TDRS-M (to be launched).
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
74
High-Altitude Platforms (HAPs)
Satellite (GEO/MEO/LEO)
Can be up to m GEOs, n MEOs and x LEOs.
HAP
Users
Users
Ground
Station
Ground
Station
Can be up to y HAPs (3
HAPs shown as an
example)
IPLs: InterPlatform
IPLs
Links
TNLs:
Terrestrial
TNLs
Network
Links
Ground
Station
Users
Figure 9. Generalized HAPs Architecture
• Height of 10 km to 40 km above the Earth’s Surface
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75
High-Altitude Balloons (HABs)
Balloons
Internet
Users
Figure 10. Generalized HABs Architecture
 Project Loon
 Height of 20 km above the Earth’s Surface
 Could be using IEEE 802.11s for wireless mesh
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76
Earth Observing Satellites at LEO
Figure 11. Satellite Remote Sensing





Pico-Satellite (1 Kg or less)
Nano-Satellite (between 1 Kg to 10 Kg)
Micro-Satellite (between 10 Kg to 100 Kg)
Mini-Satellite (between 100 Kg and 500 Kg)
Satellites between 500 Kg to 1000 Kg
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77
Pico-Satellite (1 Kg or less)
 ArduSat-1
 ArduSat-X
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
78
Nano-Satellite (between 1 Kg to 10
Kg)
 Jugnu
 MicroMAS
 Munin
 QuakeSat
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
79
Micro-Satellite (between 10 Kg to 100 Kg)
 Badr-1
 Badr-B
 Deimos-1
 IMS-1,
 Lapan-TUBsat,
 STSAT-2A
 STSAT-2B
 STSAT-2C
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
80
Mini-Satellite (between 100 Kg and
500 Kg)























ACRIMSAT
BILSAT-1
C/NOSFS
CALIPSO
Coriolis
DubaiSat-1
EygptSat-1
EROS
Fomosat-1
GRACE
Gorturk-2
Jason-1
NOAA-4
Ofek-7
Ofek-9
PROBA-V
RapidEye (BlackBridge)
RazakSat
Satelite de Coleta deDados
TIROS-1
TIROS-2
UK-DMC-2
VNREDSat-1A
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
81
Satellites between 500 Kg to 1000
Kg


















Arirang-2
BelKA
CartoSat-2A
CloudSat
Earth Observing-1
ICESat
Ikonos
IRS-1A
IRS-1B
IRS-P2
IRS-P3
Kondor
Monitor-E
Pleiades
QuikSCAT
THEOS
TIMED
VRSS-1
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
82
Satellite Comparison
Mass
Launch
ArduSat 1,
ArduSat X
DubaiSat-1
THEOS
Worldview-2
1 kg
<200 kg
750 kg
2800 kg
3 August 2013,
aboard HIIB
Launch
Vehicle No. 4;
29 July 2009
20 May 2004
8 October
2009
680 km
822 km
770 km
19 November
2013, launched
from Kibobo
Experiment
Module’s
Exposed
Facility
Orbit
300 km
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
83
Satellite Comparison
ArduSat 1,
ArduSat X
DubaiSat-1
THEOS
Worldview-2
Sensor
Specification
- one digital 3-axis
magnetometer (MAG3110)
- one digital 3-axis
gyroscope (ITG-3200)
- one 3-axis accelerometer
(ADXL345)
- one infrared temperature
sensor with a wide sensing
range (MLX90614)
- Four digital temperature
sensors (TMO102) : 2 in the
payload, 2 on the
bottomplate
- two luminosity sensor
(TSL2561) covering both
infrared and visible light : 1
on the bottomplate camera, 1
on the bottomplate slit
- two geiger counter tubes
(LND 716)
- one optical spectrometer
(Spectruino)
- one 1.3MP camera (C439)
- Panchromatic Camera:
0.42 to 0.72 μm
- Multispectral Camera:
- Blue: 0.42-0.51 μm
- Green: 0.51-0.80 μm
- Red: 0.60-0.72 μm
- Near Infrared: 0.760.89 μm
- Panchromatic Camera:
0.45 to 0.90 μm
- Multispectral Camera:
- Blue: 0.45-0.52 μm
- Green: 0.53-0.60 μm
- Red: 0.62-0.69 μm
- Near Infrared: 0.770.90 μm
- Panchromatic Camera:
0.45 to 0.80 μm
- Multispectral Camera:
- Coastal: 0.40-0.45
- Blue: 0.45-0.51 μm
- Green: 0.51-0.580 μm
- Yellow: 0.585-0.625
μm
- Red: 0.63-0.69 μm
- Red Edge: 0.705-0.745
μm
- Near-IR1: 0.77-0.895
μm
- Near-IR2: 0.860-1.040
μm
Sensor
Resolution
-one 1.3MP
camera (C439)
-Panchromatic Camera:
2.5 m GSD
-Multispectra Camera: 5
m GSD
-Panchromatic Camera:
2 m GSD
-Multispectra Camera:
15 m GSD
-Panchromatic Camera: 0.46 m GSD
at Nadir; 0.52 m GSD at 20° offNadir
-Multispectra Camera: 1.85 m GSD
at Nadir; 2.07 m GSD at 20° offNadir
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
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Satellite Comparison
Ardusat 1, Ardusat
X
Communication
Specification
ArduSat is equipped with a half-duplex
UHF transceiver, operating in the 435438 MHz amateur radio satellite band. It
implements Forward Error Correction
(FEC) and Viterbi coding based on the
CCSDS standards.
-ArduSat-1 : 437.325 MHz 9k6 MSK CCSDS
downlink
DubaiSat-1
THEOS
Worldview2
The satellite has two types of
telecommunication systems for the
contact with the Ground Station. Sband transmitter and receiver are used
for telemetry and command. X-band
transmitter is used for image data
transmission to the ground.
-S-band for
Telemetry
Tracking and
Control
(TT&C)
operations
- X-band for
imagery
transmission
at 120 Mbps
-Image and
Auxiliary Data:
800 Mbps Xband
- Housekeeping:
4, 16, 32 Kbps
real-time, 524
Kbps stored, Xband
- Command 2 or
64 Kbps S-band
-Both satellites have a Morse beacon (FMmodulated 800 Hz tones) that is
transmitted at 20 WPM every two or three
minutes on 437.000 MHz. The beacon will
be structured in the following format:[18]
Two S-band transmitters (STX) are
used for redundancy. The STX has
output power of 2 W, which secures +33
dBm for data link. Two S-band
receivers (SRX) are also used for
redundancy. An MMIC is used as a lownoise amplifier LNA to amplify weak
received signal as it has low noise and
high gain characteristics with high
reliability.
-ArduSat-1 beacon: Battery voltage
(uint16_t), RX_counter (number of
received valid data packets, uint32_t),
TX_counter (number of sent valid data
packets, uint32_t), “WG9XFC-1″
Two S-band Antennas are placed on the
top and bottom of the satellite to
provide omni-directional coverage. The
SRX and STX share these antennas
using a duplexer and a power divider.
-ArduSat-X beacon: Battery voltage
(uint16_t), RX_counter (number of
received valid data packets, uint32_t),
TX_counter (number of sent valid data
packets, uint32_t), “WG9XFC-X”
Two Image Transmission Units (ITU)
are used for redundancy. Each
produces a 5 W (+37dBm) signal for
high data rate transmission using QPSK
modulation.
-ArduSat-X : 437.345 MHz 9k6 MSK
CCSDS downlink
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
85
Earth Observing Satellites at LEO
 Hundreds of Mbps can be achieved for the data
downlink in the X band for quite a number of existing
Earth Observation satellites, while Telemetry, Tracking
and Control (TT&C) can be done in the S band.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
86
Formation Flying Satellites
 Formation Flying satellites are a group of satellites in formation




flying [16].
Reference [17] is a paper for inter-satellite communication
considerations and requirements for formation flying systems
from NASA website.
This paper helps in the understanding of such a system.
A number of the important factors for formation flying systems
identified are network architectures, missions, satellite cluster
size, inter-satellite distance, on-board storage, memory buffer,
processor, data rates, physical channels, imagery size, feedback
location corrections, propulsion, satellite operating life span, etc.
The network architectures can be a star topology or an ad hoc
topology as shown in Fig. 12.
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Formation Flying Satellites
Mothership
Daughter spacecrafts
(a) Star topology
(b) Ad hoc topology
Figure 12. Network architectures for formation flying satellites
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
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Satellite Swarm
 Satellite Swarm normally refers to a large number of






satellites flying in space to performance a certain mission
like radio astronomy [18].
Swarm are not formation.
Swarm behaviour is not formation behaviour.
The intelligence is in the swarm and not in the separate
units.
The large numbers give a redundancy level that is not
attainable in a single satellite.
There is large chance that the swarm survives when it is hit
by space debris.
The use of hibernation is used to solve power problems for
small satellites.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
89
Satellite Swarm
Figure 13. Satellite Swarm
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
90
Fractionated Satellites
Figure 14. Traditional and Fractionated Spacecraft
 Fractionated Satellites are satellites with separated infrastructure modules/payload as
compared to just one satellite with all the infrastructure modules/payload [19].
 The fractionated spacecraft concept offers the following advantages.
 First, the different subsystems are no longer highly interconnected. Therefore, they can
be developed, manufactured, integrated and tested in parallel.
 Second, the modules can be launched separately which implies fewer spacecraft design
constraints imposed on the launcher as well as less financial risk,
 Third, the modules can be added, removed or exchanged independently from others.
 The fractionated spacecraft architecture offers much more flexibility, reconfigurability
and survivability than the traditional spacecraft.
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91
Conclusions
 This presentation covers
 An introduction to satellites
 Satellite orbits
 GEO, MEO and LEO satellite networks/constellations
 High-altitude platforms (HAPs)
 High-altitude balloons HABs)
 Earth Observation satellites less than 1000 kg
 Formation flying satellites, satellite swarm and
fractionated satellites
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
92
References
[1] P. Nicopolitidis, M.S. Obaidat, G.I. Papadimitriou and A.S. Pomportsis,
Wireless Networks, pp. 203-228, Joh Wiley and Sons, 2003.
[2] http://www.boeing.com/boeing/defensespace/space/bss/factsheets/702/Inmarsat-5/Inmarsat-5.page
[3] Inmarsat Wikipedia Online, dated 20 January 2014.
[4] A.K. Maini and V. Agrawal, Satellite Technology: Principles and
Applications, John Wiley and Sons, 2nd edition, pp. 377-420, 2011.
[5] Eutelsat Wikipedia Online, dated 20 January 2014.
[6] R.E. Sheriff and Y.F. Hu, Mobile Satellite Communication Networks,
John Wiley and Sons, pp. 43-82, 2001.
[7] ACeS Wikipedia Online, dated 22 January 2014.
[8] ViaSAT-1 Wikipedia Online, dated 20 January 2014.
[9] EchoStar XVII Wikipedia Online, dated 20 January 2014.
[10] Globalstar Wikipedia Online, dated 22 January 2014.
David Tung Chong Wong - Satellite Programme
93
References
[11] Wikipedia Online, dated 27 January 2014.
[12] oePortal Online, dated 19 February 2014.
[13] W. Blackwell, et al., “Nanosatellites for Earth Environment Monitoring: The MicroMAS Project,” Microwave
Radiometry and Remote Sensing of the Environment (MicroRad) 2012, pp. 1-4, 2012.
[14] http://www.edrs-spacedatahighway.com/cutting-edge-technology/key-system-features
[15] http://archive.is/ERgYs
16] M. Navabi, M. Barati and H. B. Khamseh, “A Comparative Study of Dynamics Models for Satellite Formation
Flying – Cartesian Ordinary Differential Equations Description,” International Conference on Recent Advances in
Space Technologies (RAST) 2011, pp. 829-832, 2011.
[17] C.F. Kwadrat, W.D. Horne and B.L. Edwards, “Inter-Satellite Communications Considerations and
Requirements for Distributed Spacecraft and Formation Flying Systems,” NASA website online, 2002.
[18] C.J.M Verhoeven, et al., “On the origins of satellite swarms,” Acta Astronoautica, pp. 1392-1395, 2011.
[19] C. Mathieu and A. Weigel, “Fractionated Spacecraft Architectures Seeding Study,” Final Report AFRL-VS-PSTR-2006-1026, MIT, 3 April 2006.
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