Satellite Communications Payload Design and System Architecture, TBA Current and

planned satellite systems for fixed and mobile use now demand an array of advan
ced design/analysis techniques and architecture strategies. Developed for commun
ications engineers, satellite designers and systems architects, this popular cou
rse provides a practical understanding of how modern satellite payloads (repeate
r and antennas) and end-to-end systems are designed and assembled to meet the mo
st demanding service requirements of the private and government sectors. Design
objectives and principles for both analog bent-pipe and digital on-board processin
g repeaters are investigated. This is extended to the overall system regarding i
ts architecture, conceptual design, and ground segment engineering. With a focus
on digital narrowband and broadband applications, the course considers operatio
ns in all of the current frequency allocations: UHF, L, S, C, X, Ku, and Ka band
s. The lectures are broken down into major areas of investigation that allow par
ticipants to focus on elements of a communications satellite payload, satellite
constellation and ground segment, and how they combine into the overall system.
The course begins from a systems engineering standpoint by identifying the requi
rements for the satellite payload, constellation and end-to-end system using cur
rent applications in digital video and broadband media, the Internet protocols a
nd services, optimized voice communication, and mobile services to land, sea, an
d airborne platforms. Requirements of the satellite payload are derived and spec
ifications reviewed at the input/output and subsystem level. Performance of all
major building blocks is assessed: the repeater and its components, and the ante
nna system. Design principles and performance budgets are reviewed for each elem
ent, such as receivers, multiplexers, power amplifiers, analog and digital proce
ssors, reflector and feeds, and phased-array antennas. Critical analysis concept
s, such as loss budgeting, group delay, intermodulation distortion, digital impa
irments, cross-polarization, adjacent satellite, and adjacent channel interferen
ce, are covered for the subsystem and system designer. Also presented are strate
gies to compile requirements and pursue the spectrum/orbit resource needed for s
uccess.
This course helps participants to:
· Understand how system requirements are transformed into design elements
and specifications for the satellite communications payload
· Acquire design skills for configuring a bent-pipe repeater subsystem and
the associated shaped beam antenna
· Understand the specific capabilities of different repeater components low-
noise amplifiers, filters, channel and power amplifiers, and power combiners that
are critical to meeting overall payload performance requirements
· Gain familiarity with the capabilities of digital on-board processing re
peaters and the applications to which they are best suited
· Understand overall system architecture and the capabilities of ground se
gment elements earth stations and user terminals to integrate with the communication
s payload on an end-to-end system basis
· Be able to describe an overall system that addresses the service require
ments and can be developed using currently available components in space and on
the ground
· Create and pursue an effective spectrum/orbit acquisition strategy
In addition to a thorough review of the satellite payload design process, the gr
ound segment and overall system are investigated, including requirements for maj
or earth stations and user terminals to deliver one-way receive services, such a
s digital Direct-to-Home (DTH) TV, Digital Audio Radio Service via Satellite (DA
RS), and data broadcasting or two-way interactive services using VSAT and mobile
communications technologies. Design tools for link budgets and end-to-end perfo
rmance assessment are presented and demonstrated. The course concludes by consid
ering a practical methodology for evaluating and optimizing the performance of t
he overall system. Throughout the course, emphasis is on design principles using
classical mathematical techniques, along with modern software tools for persona
l computers. Examples are used extensively and participants are encouraged to br
ing along their particular design problems for consideration in class.