Towards the Next Generation of Nanosatellite Communication Systems
- Paper number
IAC-08.B2.1.3
- Author
Mr. Martijn de Milliano, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Dr. Chris Verhoeven, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
- Year
2008
- Abstract
In general, the current communication systems used on nanosatellites allow for only a limited amount of data to be downlinked. The transceivers are usually commercial-off-the-shelf units offering data rates standard for amateur radio, usually up to 9.6 kbps. Due to the flight heritage of these well-proven systems, most nanosatellite developer teams hold on to this technology. New designs mainly focus on improving the data rate only. Data rate, however, is only one factor that determines the data performance of the communication system. A careful analysis shows that by using advancements in microelectronics a higher performance can be achieved, even within the power and mass limitations of a nanosatellite. This paper presents a new approach to maximize the performance of nanosatellite communication systems by taking a systems engineer’s perspective, taking into account the entire satellite instead of the communication system only. It is found that efficiency can be gained by also including the electrical power system in the design. The parameters that influence the performance of the communication system are identified. Shannon’s theorem already gives three parameters that determine the amount of data that can be sent over a channel: bandwidth, signal level and noise level. Other parameters include antenna gain, data rate, coding gain and total power consumption of the system. It is shown how these parameters can be tuned such that the limited resources on a nanosatellite are used most effectively, and it is shown what technology is required in order to fully realize this. The results are used in designing the communication system of Delfi-n3Xt, the next nanosatellite mission of Delft University of Technology. The proposed design shows what can be done to increase the performance of a nanosatellite. The space segment as well as the ground segment is discussed. Possible applications of using advanced communication systems are discussed. The results presented in the paper can be used as a guideline for other nanosatellite developers who want to design a nanosatellite of the next generation.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.B2.1.3.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.