Satellite Communications

Lecturer: Eng./ kamal hamza Contacts:

Email: kshamza@gmail.com

Introduction to Satellite Communications

Main Topics
Satellites in general
What Keeps Objects in Orbit? Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites)

Communications Satellites
Why Satellites for Communications Low Earth-Orbiting Communications Satellites Geosynchronous Communications Satellites

Components of Communications Satellites

Basic Components Transmitters Antennas Power Generation

Satellites in general

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

What holds the sun up in the sky? Why doesn't the moon fall on us?

(1 of 12)

How do they return from the far west back to the far east to rise again each day?

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

(2 of 12)

Most of the derived answers classified now as superstition, mythology. In the last 300 years, we have developed a scientific description of how those bodies motion. Our description of course is based on fundamental laws put forth by Newton in the late 17th century.

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Newton s Laws

(3 of 12)

The first of Newton's law was a logical extension of earlier work by Kepler. Proposed that every bit of matter in the universe attracts every other bit of matter with a force which is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. That is, larger masses attract more strongly and the attraction gets weaker as the bodies are moved farther apart.

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Newton s Laws

(4 of 12)

Stated mathematically, Newton's law of gravity says that the magnitude of the attractive force (between the earth and the sun for example) is given by: F = G(Mearth Msun) / R2 where:
Mearth is the mass of the earth Msun is the mass of the sun R is the distance between the sun and the earth, and G is a constant which was measured by Cavendish in the late 18th century G= 6.67384 10-11 N(m/kg)2

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Newton s Laws

(5 of 12)

Newton's law of gravity means that the sun pulls on the earth and the earth pulls on the sun. Furthermore, since both are quite large (by our standards at least) the force must also be quite large. The question is, "If the sun and the planets are pulling on each other with such a large force, why don't the planets fall into the sun?"

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Newton s Laws

(6 of 12)

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Newton s Laws

(7 of 12)

They are also moving sideways "angular velocity" with a sufficiently large velocity that hold them far enough to miss the sun.

This process is repeated continuously as the earth (and all the other planets) make their apparently unending trips around the sun and the moon makes its trips around the earth.

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Gravity

(8 of 12)

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Kepler s Law
Is there a relation between time and at which distance the orbit is?

(9 of 12)

In fact, Kepler answered this question several hundred years ago, using the data of an earlier astronomer, Tycho Brahe.

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Kepler s Law

(10 of 12)

Kepler discovered that the quantity R3/T2 was the same for every planet in our solar system.
R T is the distance at which a planet orbits the sun, is the time required for one complete trip around the sun.

Hence, an object which orbits at a larger distance will require longer to complete one orbit than one which is orbiting at a smaller distance.

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Kepler s Law

(11 of 12)

Kepler's laws are simple consequences of Newton's second law of motion: F = MA We also know that the F, or force, in this case is the force of gravity, given to us by Newton: F = G(Mearth Msun) / R2 Finally, we know that the acceleration experienced by a body moving in a circle of radius R at constant speed (V) is given by: A = V2 / R

What Keeps Objects in Orbit?

Kepler s Law

(12 of 12)

Substituting the acceleration value in F = MA equation : G(Mearth Msun) / R2 = MearthV2 / R or just GMsun/ R2=V2 / R Substitute this quantity (2(pi)R / T) for V, we obtain: GMsun/R2=(2(pi)R / T)2 / R - or T2 = 4(pi)2R3/ GMsun

Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites) (1 of 12)

Kepler s Law
After Newton's laws were published, people realized that in principle it should be possible to launch an artificial satellite which would orbit the earth just as the moon does.

Using the equations which we developed above, show that an artificial satellite, orbiting the earth (R = 4000 miles) will have a period of approximately 90 minutes which corresponds to a sideways velocity of approximately 17,000 miles/hour.

Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites) (2 of 8)

To visualize the "missing the earth" feature, let's imagine cannon firing a cannonball.
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Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites) (3 of 8)

For many years, such a velocity was unthinkable and the artificial satellite remained a dream. Eventually, however, the technology (rocket engines, guidance systems, etc.) caught up with the concept, largely as a result of weapons research started by the Germans during the Second World War. Finally, in 1957, the first artificial satellite, called Sputnik, was launched by the Soviets

Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites) (4 of 8)

Although it was consisting of a spherical case with a radio transmitter, It was frightening for Americans to think of the Soviets circling overhead. Sputnik ( Friendly Traveler ), the world s first artificial satellite was 23 inch diameter, and weighed only 183 pounds, took about 98 minutes to orbit the Earth on its elliptical path. That launched lead to new political, military, technological, and scientific developments.

Listening Signal from Sputnik

Sputnik, carried only a simple radio transmitter, allowed scientists to track the spacecraft as it orbited the Earth. It burned up in the atmosphere 92 days later.
EC520 - Satellite Communications, Summer 2009

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Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites) (6 of 8)

What would happen to a "bomb" which would dropped from an orbiting Soviet satellite (America's worst nightmare in 1957)? Simply "dropping" the bomb would do nothing. The bomb had a sideways velocity of 17,000 miles/hour when it was part of the spacecraft. Simply separating it from the spacecraft won t cause it to drop to earth. It still has its sideways velocity and will continue to miss the earth as it falls.

Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites) (7 of 8)

Explorer-I, first scientific discovery satellite launched on 31st January 1958, was the first United States earth satellite, sent aloft as part of the U. S. program for the IGY 1957/58. Explorer-I orbit with a period of 114.9 minutes. It total weight was 30.66 pounds, of which 18.35 pounds were instrumentation. Explorer-I transmitted telemetry for nearly 5 months.

Can We Imitate Nature? (Artificial Satellites) (8 of 8)

Sputnik 2, USSR The first animal in space, the dog, Laika, was launched by the Russians inside Sputnik 2 on 3rd November 1958. In a study of the effects of weightlessness the dog was housed in a sealed cabin for seven days and fed on a fluid diet. It did not survive

Communications Satellites

Need of Communication Satellite (1 of 8)

In 1927, Edward R. Murrow's radio broadcasts from London had electrified American listeners. By the end of World War II, the world had had a taste of "global communications. In 1956, we had, of course, been able to do transatlantic telephone calls and telegraphs via underwater cables. At exactly this time, however, a new phenomenon was born. The first television programs were being broadcast.

Need of Communication Satellite (2 of 8)

Television signals, however required much higher frequencies because they were transmitting much more information namely the picture. A typical television station (channel 7 for example) would operate at a frequency of 175 MHz. As a result, television signals would not propagate the way radio signals did.

Need of Communication Satellite (3 of 8)

Both radio and television frequency signals can propagate directly from transmitter to receiver. This is a very dependable signal, but it is more or less limited to line of sight communication. The mode of propagation employed for long distance (1000s of miles) radio communication was a signal which traveled by bouncing off the charged layers of the atmosphere (ionosphere) and returning to earth.

Need of Communication Satellite (4 of 8)

The higher frequency television signals did not bounce off the ionosphere and as a result disappeared into space in a relatively short distance.

Need of Communication Satellite (5 of 8)

Consequently, television reception was a "line-of-sight"

phenomenon, and television broadcasts were limited to a range of 20 or 30 miles or perhaps across the continent by coaxial cable. Adding this increase to the demands of the new television medium, existing communications capabilities were simply not able to handle all of the requirements. By the late 1950s the newly developed artificial satellites seemed to offer the potential for satisfying many of these needs.

Low Earth-Orbiting Communications Satellites (1 of 3)

In 1960, the simplest communications satellite ever conceived was launched. It was called Echo, because it consisted only of a large (100 feet in diameter) aluminized plastic balloon. Radio and TV signals transmitted to the satellite would be reflected back to earth and could be received by any station within view of the satellite.

Low Earth-Orbiting Communications Satellites (2 of 3)

Unfortunately, in its low earth orbit, the Echo satellite circled the earth every ninety minutes. This meant that although virtually everybody on earth would eventually see it, no one person, ever saw it for more than 10 minutes or so out of every 90 minute orbit. In 1958, the Score satellite had been put into orbit. It carried a tape recorder which would record messages as it passed over an originating station and then rebroadcast them as it passed over the destination. (lasted 35 days in orbit after batteries failed). Once more, however, it appeared only briefly every 90 minutes a serious impediment to real communications. In 1962, NASA launched the Telstar satellite for AT&T.

Low Earth-Orbiting Communications Satellites (3 of 3)

Telstar's orbit was such that it could "see" Europe" and the US simultaneously during one part of its orbit. During another part of its orbit it could see both Japan and the U.S. As a result, it provided real- time communications between the United States and those two areas - for a few minutes out of every hour.

Geosynchronous Communications Satellites (1 of 4)

The solution to the problem of availability, of course, lay in the use of the geosynchronous orbit. In 1963, the necessary rocket booster power was available for the first time and the first geosynchronous satellite, Syncom 2, was launched by NASA.

Geosynchronous Communications Satellites (2 of 4)

The SYNCOM Spacecraft 2-foot diameter 150 pounds 8000 solar cells

Geosynchronous Communications Satellites (3 of 4)

Syncom II World First Geostationary Satellite Launched in 1963. It transmitted data, telephone, fax, and video signals.

Geosynchronous Communications Satellites (4 of 4)

For those who could "see" it, the satellite was available 100% of the time, 24 hours a day. The satellite could view approximately 42% of the earth. For those outside of that viewing area, of course, the satellite was NEVER available.

Communication Satellites
By 1964, you could for the first time watch the Olympic games live from Tokyo. A few years later of course you could watch the Vietnam war live on the evening news.

Communication Satellites
Today, there are many communications satellites in orbit and in geosynchronous orbit. One of the biggest sponsors of satellite development was Intelsat, an internationally-owned corporation which has launched 8 different series of satellites (4 or 5 of each series) over a period of more than 30 years. Spreading their satellites around the globe and making provision to relay from one satellite to another, they made it possible to transmit 1000s of phone calls between almost any two points on the earth. It was also possible for the first time, due to the large capacity of the satellites, to transmit live television pictures between virtually any two points on earth.

A Selective Communications Satellite Chronology :

1945 Arthur C. Clarke Article: "Extra-Terrestrial Relays" 1955 John R. Pierce Article: "Orbital Radio Relays" 1956 First Trans-Atlantic Telephone Cable: TAT-1 1957 Sputnik: Russia launches the first earth satellite. 1960 1st Successful DELTA Launch Vehicle 1960 AT&T applies to FCC for experimental satellite communications license 1961 Formal start of TELSTAR, RELAY, and SYNCOM Programs 1962 TELSTAR and RELAY launched 1962 Communications Satellite Act (U.S.) 1963 SYNCOM launched 1964 INTELSAT formed 1965 COMSAT's EARLY BIRD: 1st commercial communications satellite 1969 INTELSAT-III series provides global coverage 1972 ANIK: 1st Domestic Communications Satellite (Canada) 1974 WESTAR: 1st U.S. Domestic Communications Satellite 1975 INTELSAT-IVA: 1st use of dual-polarization 1975 RCA SATCOM: 1st operational body-stabilized comm. satellite 1976 MARISAT: 1st mobile communications satellite 1976 PALAPA: 3rd country (Indonesia) to launch domestic comm. satellite 1979 INMARSAT formed. 1988 TAT-8: 1st Fiber-Optic Trans-Atlantic telephone cable