Chapter 3 Satellite Subsystems

SPACECRAFT SUBSYSTEMS
Attitude and Orbital Control System (AOCS) Telemetry Tracking and Command (TT&C)

Power System
Communications System Antennas
More usually TTC&M Telemetry, Tracking, Command, and Monitoring

AOCS
AOCS is needed to get the satellite into the correct

orbit and keep it there

Orbit insertion Orbit maintenance Fine pointing

Major parts Attitude Control System Orbit Control System

ORBIT INSERTION - GEO

TWO BASIC TYPES OF GEO INSERTION:
High-Energy Apogee Kick Motor firing A few minutes, symmetrical about apogee Low-Energy AOCS burn Tens of minutes to > one hour burns, symmetrical about apogee Uses Dual-Mode thrusters; i.e. thrusters used for both orbit raising and attitude control

ORBIT MAINTENANCE - 1
MUST CONTROL LOCATION IN GEO &

POSITION WITHIN CONSTELLATION

SATELLITES NEED IN-PLANE (E-W) & OUT-OF-

PLANE (N-S) MANEUVERS TO MAINTAIN THE CORRECT ORBIT

LEO SYSTEMS LESS AFFECTED BY SUN AND

MOON BUT MAY NEED MORE ORBIT-PHASING CONTROL

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ORBIT MAINTENANCE - 2
GEO STATION-KEEPING BURNS ABOUT EVERY

4 WEEKS FOR 0.05o

DO N-S AND E-W ALTERNATELY N-S REQUIRES 10 E-W ENERGY RECENT APPROACH USES DIFFERENT

THRUSTERS FOR E-W AND N-S

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FINE POINTING
SATELLITE MUST BE STABILIZED TO PREVENT

NUTATION (WOBBLE)
THERE ARE TWO PRINCIPAL FORMS OF

ATTITUDE STABILIZATION
BODY STABILIZED (SPINNERS, SUCH AS

INTELSAT VI) THREE-AXIS STABILIZED (SUCH AS THE ACTS, GPS, ETC.)

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DEFINITION OF AXES - 1
ROLL AXIS
Rotates around the axis tangent to the orbital plane

(N-S on the earth)

PITCH AXIS
Moves around the axis perpendicular to the orbital

plane (E-W on the earth)

YAW AXIS Moves around the axis of the subsatellite point

DEFINITION OF AXES
Earth

Equator

Yaw Axis

Roll Axis

Pitch Axis

TTC&M
MAJOR FUNCTIONS Reporting spacecraft health Monitoring command actions
Determining orbital elements

Launch sequence deployment

Control of thrusters

TTC&M is often a battle between Operations (who want every little thing monitored and Engineering who want to hold data channels to a minimum

Control of payload (communications, etc.)

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TELEMETRY
MONITOR ALL IMPORTANT TEMPERATURE VOLTAGES CURRENTS SENSORS
TRANSMIT DATA TO EARTH RECORD DATA AT TTC&M STATIONS
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TELEMETRY
TWO TELEMETRY PHASES OR MODES Non-earth pointing

During the launch phase During Safe Mode operations when the spacecraft loses tracking data During parts of the launch phase During routine operations

Earth-pointing

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TRACKING
MEASURE RANGE REPEATEDLY CAN MEASURE BEACON DOPPLER OR THE

COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
COMPUTE ORBITAL ELEMENTS
PLAN STATION-KEEPING MANEUVERS COMMUNICATE WITH MAIN CONTROL STATION

AND USERS
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COMMAND
DURING LAUNCH SEQUENCE SWITCH ON POWER DEPLOY ANTENNAS AND SOLAR PANELS POINT ANTENNAS TO DESIRED LOCATION IN ORBIT MAINTAIN SPACECRAFT THERMAL BALANCE CONTROL PAYLOAD, THRUSTERS, ETC.

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POWER SYSTEMS
SOLAR CELLS
1.39kW/m2 available from sun

Cells 10 - 15% efficient (BOL=Beginning Of Life)

Cells 7 - 10% efficient (EOL=End of Life)

SOLAR CELL OUTPUT FALLS WHEN TEMPERATURE RISES

2mV/degree C; Three-Axis hotter (less efficient)

than a spinner
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POWER SYSTEMS
BATTERIES NEEDED DURING LAUNCH DURING ECLIPSE (<70mins) BATTERY LIMITS NiCd 50% (DOD=depth of discharge) NiH2 70% DOD
NOTE: ISS uses 110V bus and will need 110 kW; 30 minute eclipses per day; 55 kW required from batteries Solution: using Fuel Cells
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POWER SYSTEMS
BATTERIES ARE CONDITIONED BEFORE EACH

ECLIPSE SEASON
BATTERIES DISCHARGED TO LIMIT BATTERIES THEN RECHARGED

TYPICAL NiH2 BATTERY CAN WITHSTAND 30,000

CYCLES (AMPLE FOR GEO; WOULD BE 5 YEARS IN LEO)

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COMMUNICATIONS SUB-SYSTEMS
Primary function of a communications satellite (all

other subsystems are to support this one)

Only source of revenue Design to maximize traffic capacity Downlink usually most critical (limited output

power, limited antenna sizes).

Early satellites were power limited

Most satellites are now bandwidth limited.
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SPACECRAFT ANTENNAS
SIMPLE:
GLOBAL BEAM, ~17O WID LOW GAIN, LOW CAPACITY

REGIONAL:

NARROW BEAM FROM REFLECTOR ANTENNA, TYPICALLY 3o 3o OR 3o 6o

ADVANCED:

MULTIPLE NARROW BEAMS STATIONARY, SCANNED, OR HOPPED

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ANTENNA TYPES
HORN Efficient, Low Gain, Wide Beam REFLECTOR High Gain, Narrow Beam, May have to be deployed in space PHASED ARRAY Complex Electronically steered
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