SATELLITE

COMMUNICATION

BY
Dr. Md Masudur Rahman
Associate Professor
Dept. of EEE, PUST
 INTRODUCTION

A satellite is simply any body that moves around another (usually much larger)
one in a mathematically predictable path called an orbit

Usually, the word "satellite" refers to a machine that is launched into

space and moves around Earth or another body in space. Earth and the
moon are examples of natural satellites. Thousands of artificial, or
man-made, satellites orbit Earth.
Parts of a Typical Satellite
 WORKING
• The basic elements of a satellite communications system are shown in next
slide. The process begins at an earth station an installation designed to
transmit and receive signals from a satellite in orbit around the earth.

• Earth stations send information in the form of high powered, high frequency
(GHz range) signals to satellites which receive and retransmit the signals
back to earth where they are received by other earth stations in the coverage
area of the satellite.
 CONT.........

• The area which receives a signal of useful strength from the

satellite is known as the satellite's footprint.

• The transmission system from the earth station to the satellite

is called the uplink, and the system from the satellite to the
earth station is called the downlink.
 ORBIT
S
GEO: ~ 36000 km
from the earth
MEO: 6000 - 20000
km
LEO: 500 - 1500 km
HEO: Highly Elliptical
Orbit Elliptical orbits are
difficulties from radiation
belts.
 GEOSTATIONARY
EARTH ORBIT (GEO)
• Objects in Geostationary orbit revolve around the earth at the same speed as the
earth rotates
• This means GEO satellites remain in the same position relative to the surface of
earth
• Because of the long distance from earth it gives a large coverage area, almost a
fourth of the earth’s surface but, this distance also cause it to have both a
comparatively weak signal and a time delay in the signal, which is bad for point to
point communication.
• High transmit power needed and launching of satellites to orbit are complex and
expensive.
• Not useful for global coverage for small mobile phones and data transmission,
typically used for radio and TV transmission
 MEDIUM EARTH ORBIT (MEO)
• MEO satellites have a larger coverage area than LEO satellites
• A MEO satellite’s longer duration of visibility and wider footprint
means fewer satellites are needed in a MEO network than a LEO network
• A MEO sMEO satellites have a larger coverage area than LEO satellites
• A MEO satellite’s longer duration of visibility and wider footprint means
fewer satellites are needed in a MEO network than a LEO network
• A MEO satellite’s distance gives it a longer time delay and weaker signal than
a LEO satellite, though not as bad as a GEO satellite
• Satellite’s distance gives it a longer time delay and weaker signal than a
LEO satellite, though not as bad as a GEO satellite
 LOW EARTH ORBIT (LEO)

• LEO satellites are much closer to the earth than GEO satellites, ranging from 500 to
1,500 km above the surface
• LEO satellites don’t stay in fixed position relative to the surface, and are only
visible for 15 to 20 minutes each pass
• A network of LEO satellites is necessary for LEO satellites to be useful to
handover necessary from one satellite to another need for routing.
Why do Satellite stay moving and in orbit ?
 FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS
• Frequency bands for satellite services are shared
• with terrestrial services
• Satellite signal strength is constrained to avoid
interface by it to others
• Thus a large antenna and sensitive receiver are
• needed at the earth station
 CONT..........
..

• Many satellites have to share a limited frequency

• band,thus co-ordination in frequency and orbital
• Location is important
• Frequency allocation all done by international
• agreements
 FREQUENCY BANDS
• Different kinds of satellites use different
frequency
• bands
• L-Band:1 to 2 GHz
• S-Band:2 to 4 GHz
• C-Band:4 to 8 GHz
• X-Band:8 to 12.5 GHz
• Ku-Band:12.5 to 26.5 GHz
• K-Band:18 to 26.5 GHz
• Ka-Band:26.5 to 40 GHz
 SATELLITE LAUNCH
•
VEHICLES
In spaceflight, a launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket used to
carry a payload from Earth's surface into outer space.
• A launch system includes the launch vehicle, the launch pad, and
other infrastructure.
• Although a carrier rocket's payload is often an artificial satellite
placed
into orbit, some spaceflights, such as sounding rockets, are suborbital,
while others enable spacecraft to escape Earth orbit entirely.
• One of the example for satellite launch vehicle is PSLV(Polar Satellite
• Launch Vehicle)
 ADVANTAGES
• The coverage area of a satellite greatly exceeds
• that of a terrestrial system
• Transmission cost of a satellite is independent of the
distance from the centre of the coverage area
• Satellite to satellite communication is very precise
• Higher bandwidths are available for use
 DISADVANTAGES
• Launching satellites into orbits is costly
• Satellite bandwidth is gradually becoming used up There is
larger propagation delay in satellite comm- unication than in
terrestrial communication
 APPLICATION
S
• Telephony
- Fixed points, earth station, Satellite, earth station, fixed points.
• Television & Radio
- e.g. Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) & Fixed service satellite
(FFS)
• Mobile satellite technology
- Special antenna called mobile satellite antenna.
• Amateur radio
- Access to OSCAR satellite.
- Low earth orbits.
• Internet
- High Speed.
- Useful for far away places.
• Military
- Uses geostationary satellites.
FIRST LAUNCHING OF
SATELLITES BY COUNTRY
COMMUNICATION SATELLITES BRING THE WORLD
TO YOU ANYWHERE AND ANY TIME….
 CONCLUSIONS......
..
• Satellite systems are not aimed to replace terrestrial system
but at complementing them
• GEO’s are ideal for TV and Radio broadcasting and
they do not need handover because of its larger
footprint.
• Lifetime of GEO’s are rather high, about 15 years
• LEO’s need a network of satellites and are appropriate
for voice communications
• In LEO’s handover is frequent and routing is must
• MEO’s are in between LEO’s and GEO’s in every aspect
REFERENCES

• Books:
• Introduction to satellite communication by Bruce
R.Elbert
• LINKS:
• www.wikipedia.com
• www.isro.gov.in
• www.nasa.gov.in
THANK
YOU