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About Introduction to Satellite Communications

This two-day course gives an introduction to the Satellite Communications field.  It introduces the basic orbital parameters, the space environment, followed by a detailed presentation of the link budget and various satellite
access schemes. The ground station architecture and requirements are formulated.  The building blocks of the satellite platform and the satellite payload are discussed together with the issues related to satellite installation in orbit.  Bent-pipe versus on-board processing architectures are compared. Limitations and solutions for TCP/IP traffic over satellite are
discussed, together with an example of a generic stream IP encapsulation protocol.  Network dimensioning, satellite services including satellite Internet applications and specific issues for military applications are also introduced.  A brief history of Australian contributions in this area with a focus on the latest developments in satellite communications equipment (e.g., the Satellite Network Access Point) concludes this course.

Text books

There is no single text book to cover all issues discussed. Key references are:

1. G. Maral and M Bousquet `Satellite Communications Systems', Wiley, 4th ed., 2002, ISBN 0 471 49654 5.
2. K. Sripimanwat (Ed). `Turbo Code Applications', Springer, 2005, ISBN 13 978-1-4020-3686-6

Who should attend?

The course is a general introduction to satellite communications. It is intended for those engineers and technicians working in the field who would like to get an overall understanding of the issues. Managers who need a sound understanding of the implications of the latest technology in improving the system efficiency and cutting costs will also benefit. The course does not require a specific background although a basic knowledge of digital communications would be useful.

Course Topics

Day 1:

• Orbits: Kepler’s and Newton’s Laws; Orbital Parameters; Inclined Orbits; Geostationary Orbit;
• Space environment: Mechanical Effects; Atmospheric Effects; Rain Attenuation; Polarisation and Propagation;
• Link budgets: Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power; Received Signal Power; Noise Power at the receiver input; The Uplink and Downlink; Station-to-station link; Example using spreadsheet;
• Satellite Access: FDMA; TDMA; CDMA; Random access;
• Earth Stations: Standards; Antennas; Radio Frequency Subsystem; Communication Subsystem;
• Channel Coding: Block Codes; Convolutional Codes; Turbo-like Codes; Joint Source and Channel Coding;
• The Payload: Transparent Repeaters; Multibeam Satellite Repeater; Bent-pipe vs on-board processing; Antenna Characteristics;
• The Platform: Attitude Control; The Propulsion System; The Power Supply; Telemetry, Tracking and Command;

Day 2:

• Satellite Services: Broadcasting Satellite Services (DBS, DVB-S); Fixed Satellite Services (INTELSAT, VSAT); Navigational Satellite Services (NAVSTAR GPS); Earth Resource Satellite Services (Radarsat, NOAA); Mobile Satellite Services;
• Satellite Installation: Installation in Orbit; Launch Vehicles; Reliability issues;
• Satellite Internet: TCP/IP over satellite issues; Proposed Systems;
• Network Dimensioning: System requirements; Types of traffic; ON-OFF vs Poisson model;
• MAC layer optimisation: Throughput control; Generic stream IP encapsulation;
• Specific issues: Protect your satellite link; Privacy for each of us;
• New Trends: Australian contribution: FedSat; Key trends: space segment; Key trends: ground segment;
• SNAP: Concept; Statistical Multiplexing Gain; Platform;

For further information please contact:
Anne-Marie Eliseo
Industry Education Manager
phone: +61-8-8302-3928
email: industryeducation@nicta.com.au