Table of Contents

List of Acronyms xiii

Preface to Second Edition xix

1 Introduction to Satellite Communications 1

1.1 Early History of Satellite Communications 3

1.2 Some Basic Communications Satellite System Definitions 9

1.3 Overview of Book Structure and Topics 13

References 15

2 Satellite Orbits 17

2.1 Kepler’s Laws 18

2.2 Orbital Parameters 19

2.3 Orbits in Common Use 22

2.4 Geometry of GSO Links 27

References 33

Problems 33

3 Satellite Subsystems 35

3.1 Satellite Bus 36

3.2 Satellite Payload 45

References 48

4 The RF Link 49

4.1 Transmission Fundamentals 49

4.2 System Noise 59

4.3 Link Performance Parameters 70

Reference 73

Problems 73

5 Link System Performance 75

5.1 Link Considerations 75

5.2 Uplink 79

5.3 Downlink 81

5.4 Percent of Time Performance Specifications 82

References 84

Problems 85

6 Transmission Impairments 87

6.1 Radiowave Frequency and Space Communications 87

6.2 Radiowave Propagation Mechanisms 89

6.3 Propagation Below About 3 GHz 92

6.4 Propagation Above About 3 GHz 100

6.5 Radio Noise 117

References 134

Problems 135

7 Propagation Effects Modeling and Prediction 138

7.1 Atmospheric Gases 138

7.2 Clouds and Fog 152

7.3 Rain Attenuation 162

7.4 Depolarization 187

7.5 Tropospheric Scintillation 194

References 201

Problems 203

8 Rain Fade Mitigation 205

8.1 Power Restoral Techniques 205

8.2 Signal Modification Restoral Techniques 229

8.3 Summary 232

References 232

Problems 233

9 The Composite Link 235

9.1 Frequency Translation (FT) Satellite 236

9.2 On-Board Processing (OBP) Satellite 248

9.3 Comparison of FT and OBP Performance 252

9.4 Intermodulation Noise 255

9.5 Link Design Summary 257

References 258

Problems 258

10 Satellite Communications Signal Processing 261

10.1 Analog Systems 261

10.2 Digital Baseband Formatting 270

10.3 Digital Source Combining 274

10.4 Digital Carrier Modulation 275

10.5 Summary 283

Reference 284

Problems 284

11 Satellite Multiple Access 286

11.1 Frequency Division Multiple Access 289

11.2 Time Division Multiple Access 293

11.3 Code Division Multiple Access 303

References 314

Problems 314

12 The Mobile Satellite Channel 316

12.1 Mobile Channel Propagation 316

12.2 Narrowband Channel 321

12.3 Wideband Channel 348

12.4 Multi-Satellite Mobile Links 351

References 355

13 Spectrum Management in Satellite Communications 357

13.1 Spectrum Management Functions and Activities 357

13.2 Methods of Radio Spectrum Sharing 368

13.3 Spectrum Efficiency Metrics 372

References 374

Problems 374

14 Interference Mitigation in Satellite Communications 376

14.1 Interference Designations 376

14.2 Modes of Interference for Satellite Services Networks 377

14.3 Interference Propagation Mechanisms 379

14.4 Interference and the RF Link 386

14.5 Coordination for Interference Mitigation 388

References 395

Problems 396

15 High Throughput Satellites 398

15.1 Evolution of Satellite Broadband 399

15.2 Multiple Beam Antennas and Frequency Reuse 401

15.3 HTS Ground Systems Infrastructure 412

15.4 Satellite HTS and 5G 416

References 422

Appendix Error Functions and Bit Error Rate 423

A.1 Error Functions 423

A.2 Approximation for BER 425

Index 427

About the Author

LOUIS J. IPPOLITO JR., Engineering Consultant and Adjunct Professor, The George Washington University, Washington DC, USA.