Feasibility analysis of a Satellite & Broadband Internet Communications specialised NGO - Ignacio Cagiga Vila (1)

A.1.3 Technological Analysis

Since the first artificial satellite (Sputnik-1) dedicated to sending
atmospheric and climatic data, broadcasting in the 20 and 40 MHz bands,
was put into orbit in 1957, passing through the first satellites that supported
bidirectional voice circuits in the middle of the decade of the 60, or the first
satellite system LEO (Low Earth Orbit) of telephone communications at the
end of the 90; many have been the advances that have occurred in satellite
communications systems to this day.

The first operational satellites whose main function was the provision of
communications systems for military, governmental, or scientific purposes;
were adapted to exploit the commercial potential of this technology. Thus,
in 1964 the INTELSAT (International Telecommunications Satellite
Organization) consortium was formed, which would be responsible for
launching the first satellites (Intelsat I, II, and III) capable of offering more
than 240 voice circuits or a bidirectional television channel for the purpose
of commercial.

As technology advanced and production costs became cheaper, more
companies and associations began to build satellites to meet the needs of
different states, firms, navigation companies, and other organizations with
large needs for the volume of communications traffic.

• Types of Satellites

The most common way of classifying satellites is according to the altitude
of the orbital plane concerning the earth's surface, although they can also
be distinguished according to the type of orbit they draw, or the earth plane
on which they draw that orbit:

o According to the type of Orbit,
▪ Circular satellites with the center of the orbit at the center of the
Earth
▪ Elliptical satellites with one of their foci in the center of the earth

o According to the plane of the Earth in which they orbit,
▪ Equatorial satellites
▪ Polar satellites whose orbit passes through both poles
▪ Other types of orbits

o According to the altitude of the orbital plane with respect to the earth's
surface,
▪ Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
• Orbits below 1,200km altitude
• Orbital periods of 1.5-2 hours
• Its coverage area has a diameter of 8,000km
• Approx. 40 satellites for full coverage
• Delays under 20ms
• Susceptible to the Doppler effect and atmospheric
conditions

49

▪ Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
• Orbit at a distance from the earth's surface of between
5,000 and 12,000 km
• 6-hour orbital period
• Approx. 10-15 satellites required for full coverage
• Delays under 50ms

▪ Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO).
• Located approximately 36,000 km from the earth's surface
• They orbit at the same angular speed as the Earth, so they
appear static
• They cover 42.2% of the earth's surface, so a network with
3 GEO satellites a priori would cover the entire Earth.
• Delays of 0.25s (very high)

• Structure of a satellite communications system

A basic satellite communications system is usually made up of three
segments:

The Satellite

The central point of the network, a repeater station that amplifies, changes
the band and retransmits the received radio signal, to establish connections
between ground stations that are under its coverage area. The main
components of the satellite are:

▪ Communication Payload, composed of the transponders,
responsible for forming communication channels between the
receiving antenna and the transmitter; and the antenna
subsystem, responsible for capturing and emitting the radio signal.

Usually, transponders operate under the bent pipe principle, which
consists of emitting to Earth the same signal that it has received
but amplified and changing the frequency of the uplink channel to
that of the downlink. On the other hand, the most modern and
complex satellites use on-board processing, to be able to
demodulate and decode the received signal and recode and
modulate it before transmitting it back to Earth.

Year Satellite # of Electrical Launch Life

Transponders Power mass expectancy

50

1985 EUTELSAT I 9 1.0kW 1.2 7 years
tons

1996 HOT BIRD 2 20 5.6kW 2.9 12 years
tons

2001 ATLANTIC 26 6.5kW 2.9 15 years
BIRD 2 tons

2006 HOT BIRD 8 64 13kW 4.9 15 years
tons

2009 W7 70 16kW 5.6 > 15 years
tons

Table 9: Technology Progress from 2985 to 2009 Fuente: Chapter 5 - Satellite

Telecommunication Systems, Telecommunication Systems (TSYS) subject, MET, UPC

▪ Power Supply
▪ Attitude and Orbit Control, stabilization of the correct orientation,

altitude, and orbit is done thanks to the control thrusters. The

useful life of a satellite is directly proportional to the amount of fuel

available to perform these stabilizing operations.
▪ Telemetry, Telecommand, and Ranging

The Satellite Access Network

It includes satellite hubs and satellite communications terminals used by
end-users, known as gateways. These are interconnected through one or
more radio channels offered by the satellite.

The Satellite Core Network

It is the backbone that supports the network and is made up of switches
and routers based on IP / MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) and
Ethernet technologies. The core network interconnects several gateways
with operators, entities, and IPSs (Internet Service Providers).

Figure 16: Basic Satellite Communication System Architecture Fuente: Chapter 5 - Satellite
Telecommunication Systems, Telecommunication Systems (TSYS) subject, MET, UPC

• Agents involved in the provision of a satellite communications service:

51

o Satellite Operator (SO), responsible for the launch, maintenance, and
management of satellites. (e.g. INMARSAT, SpaceX, Arianespace,
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Proton)

o Satellite Network Operator (SNO), owner and responsible for the launch,
maintenance, and management of the satellite hubs and the core of the
communications network (e.g. Gilat Satellite Networks)

o Service Provider (SP), responsible for the contracted communication
service. Several types of satellite communication services can be
distinguished:
▪ Traditional Fixed Satellite Service (FSS): Radio communication
service between ground stations located in specific positions or
areas. E.g. Intelsat, SES, Hispasat.
▪ Mobile Satellite Service (MSS): Radiocommunication service
between mobile land stations, between satellite stations, or
between a mobile land station and a satellite station. E.g. are
Inmarsat, Iridium, Globalstar, Mobile Satellite Ventures.
▪ Broadcasting Satellite Service (BSS): Radiocommunication
service by which a space station transmits or retransmits a signal
addressed to the general public. E.g. SES-ASTRA, Echostar,
Directv) and provision of these services on leased FSS capacity.

o Manufacturers of satellites and terrestrial terminals (e.g. Boeing, Loral,
Lockheed Martin, Thales, Alcatel, Astrium)

• Advantages of satellite communication systems over conventional terrestrial
systems (radio, 3G, 4G, 5G, …)

• Ubiquitous coverage: A single satellite system can cover any potential
user within a continent, especially in areas with low demographic
density.

• Bandwidth flexibility: Broadband, Narrowband, symmetrical,
asymmetric channels, ...

• Deployment: Quick to deploy and once deployed it's easy for new users
to join regardless of distance.

• Connectivity: Broadcasting, Multipoint-to-multipoint, multicasting, ...
• Disaster Recovery: an alternative to emergencies and disasters to

terrestrial networks such as fiber optics, for example.
• Reliability: It is the most reliable Communications System compared to

other technologies.
• Cost: Independent of the distance of the users.

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