Communication Satellites

• Communication Satellites can be thought of as

a big microwave repeater in the sky.
• Satellites are transponders (units that receive on
one frequency and retransmit on another) that
are set in geostationary orbits directly over the
equator.
• These geostationary orbits are 36,000km from
the earth’s surface.
• Satellite networks are like cellular networks as
they divide the planet into cells.
 Communication satellites contd…
• Satellite can provide transmission
capability to and from any location on
earth, no matter how remote.
• This makes high-quality communication
available to the undeveloped parts of the
world without requiring a huge investment
in ground based infrastructure.
• Orbits: The path in which a satellite travels
around the earth is called the orbit of the
satellite.
• Period: The time required for a satellite to
make a complete trip around the earth is
called period of the satellite.
• Footprint: The footprint is the “shadow”
that the satellite can transmit to, the
shadow being the area that can receive
the satellite’s transmitted signal.
• Uplink: The uplink is the transmitter of data to
the satellite.
• Downlink: The downlink is the receiver of data.
• Earth Stations: Uplinks and downlinks are also
called earth stations because they are located
on the earth.
• Van Allen Belt: A Van Allen Belt is a layer that
contains charged particles. A satellite orbiting in
one of these two belts would be totally destroyed
by the energetic charged particles. The MEO
orbits are located between these two belts.
 Frequency Bands for Satellite
Communications
• The frequencies reserved for satellite microwave
communication are in the gigahertz range.

Band Downlink Uplink GHz Bandwidth

GHz MHz
L 1.5 1.6 15
S 1.9 2.2 70
C 4.0 6.0 500
Ku 11.0 14.0 500
Ka 20.0 30.0 3500
 Categories of Satellites
Satellites

Geostationary Earth Middle Earth Orbit Low Earth Orbit

Orbit Satellites Satellites (MEO) Satellites (LEO)
(GEO)
 GEO Satellites
• The satellites which move at the same speed as
the earth so that it seems to remain fixed above
a certain spot are called geostationary satellites.
• Because orbital speed is based on the distance
from the planet, only one orbit can be
geostationary.
• But one geostationary satellite can not cover the
whole earth.
• One satellite in orbit has line-of-sight contact
with a vast no. of stations, but the curvature of
the earth still keeps much of the planet out of
sight.
• It takes a min. of 3 satellites equidistant from
each other in geostationary earth orbit to provide
full global transmission.
 MEO Satellites
• Medium-Earth-Orbit satellites are
positioned between the two Van Allen
Belts.
• A satellite at this orbit takes approximately
6-8 hours to circle the earth.
• Because they have a smaller footprint on
the ground and require less powerful
transmitters to reach them.
• Examples are: GPS
 GPS
• Global positioning System orbits at an altitude of
about 18,000 km above the earth.
• The system consists of 24 satellites and is used
for land, sea and air navigation to provide time
and locations for vehicles and ships.
• GPS uses 24 satellites in 6 orbits. The orbits and
the location of the satellite in each orbit are
designed in such a way that at any time 4
satellites are visible from any point on earth.
 LEO
• The LEO satellites are located at an altitude
between 500 & 2000 km, with a rotation period
of 90 to 120 min.
• The satellite has a speed of 20,000 to 25,000
km/h.
• An LEO system usually has a cellular type of
access, similar to the cellular telephone system
• The footprint normally has a diameter of
8000km.
• Because LEO are close to earth, the round trip
time propagation delay is normally less than
20ms, which is acceptable for audio
communication.
 LEO contd..
• An LEO system is made of a constellation of
satellites that work together as a network; each
satellite acts as a switch.
• Satellites that are close to each other are
connected through intersatellite links (ISLs).
• A mobile system communicates with the satellite
through a user mobile link (UML).
• A satellite can also communicate with an earth
station through a gateway link (GWL).
 LEO

Little
Broad Band
Big
Operate under
1GHz
Used for low- Provide
data-rate Operate communication
between 1GHz similar to fiber-
& 3 GHz optic networks.
e.g. Globestar e.g. Teledesic
& Iridium
 Iridium Telecom System
• The Iridium Telecom System is a new satellite
system that will be the largest private aerospace
project.
• It is designed to provide direct worldwide voice
and data communication using handheld
terminals, a service similar to cellular telephony
but on a global scale
• It relies on satellites in lower earth orbit (LEO).
• The satellite will orbit at an altitude of 900-10000
km in a polar, non-stationary orbit.
• User’s handset will require less power and will
be cheaper than cellular phones.
• There will be 100% coverage of the earth.
 Globalstar
• Globalstar is another LEO satellite system.
• The system uses 48 satellites in 6 polar orbits
with each orbit hosting 8 satellites.
• The orbits are located at an altitude of almost
1400km.
• The globalstar system is similar to the Iridium
system; the main difference is the relaying
mechanism
• Communication b/w two distant users in the
Iridium system requires relaying b/w several
satellites.
• Globalstar communication requires both
satellites & earth stations, which means that
ground stations can create more powerful
 Teledesic
• Teledesic is a system of satellites that
provide fiber-optic like (broadband
channels, low error rate & low delay)
communication.
• Its main purpose is to provide broadband
Internet access for users all over the
world.
• It is sometimes called “Internet in the Sky”.