Satlink Tool : A tool for analysing GEO Satcom¶

INTRODUCTION¶

SATCOM is the term used for communication via satellite. In this communication a signal is transmitted from the Earth up to a satellite, and then is received back at a different location on Earth. When the satellite is located on a geostationary orbit this process is called GEO satellite communication. The global analysis of a GEO satellite communication system depends on many different parameters: the position of the satellite and earth stations, the characteristics of analog RF links, the satellite payload, the environment and the characteristics of the digital link. The main analysis tool is the link budget.

In the signal transmission, the linked budget takes into account all the attenuation due to the environment and the equipment and give us a result in terms of power, efficiency and service of the satellite communication system. In this education tool we'll present the performance results related to signal Uplink and Downlink path, the satellite and Earth station payload implemented, the service provided and the geometry of the system. This educational environment is developed to be applied in order to facilitate the comprehension of the design and performance of satellite systems, specially aims at Geostationary satellites. GEO satellites are those that have a circular orbit around the Earth at an altitude about 36000 Km above the Equator's line.
The figure 1 shows a GEO satellite in orbit above the equator line. These satellites has been used in several applications, playing an important role in globla communications, television broadcasting, weather forecasting and defense and Intelligence applications.

 
Figure 1 - Illustration of Geostationary orbit above the Equator. The orbit period is equal to a sidereal day,
giving the impression that the satellite is stationary in relation at rotation of Earth.

Objective¶

The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive tool in LabVIEW that will offer future students the ability to test different satellite links and derive the end-to-end system performance. This software will offer the possibility to, from a set of input parameters, creatively show the expected link budget of the satellite in order to determinate parameters like EIRP, G/T or BER. In addition, since a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in SATCOM is intended to start in June 2015, it would be an interesting option to distribute this program thought the website of the SCS programme.

Bibliography¶

Maral, Gérald / Bousquet, Michel. Satellite Communication System.-5th ed. UK, 2009.

Authors¶

Ederson RIBAS MACHADO
Anna SERRA FONT