Automatic

Identification
System
 AISSat-1 & AISSAT-2 (Automatic Identification System
Satellite) Nanosatellite Constellation
As of 2008, Norway, a nation of long shorelines, large coastal waters and fishing grounds, is in
the process to build its first dedicated satellite (AISSat-1) for such spaceborne monitoring
services of AIS signals. The justification for the mission is based on careful modeling of the
global AIS detection probability, with particular emphasis on observation of Norwegian ocean
areas in the High North.

AISSat-1 is a Norwegian nanosatellite technology

demonstration mission in LEO, funded by the NSC
(Norwegian Space Center, O) with program
management by the FFI (Norwegian Defense
Research Establishment). The overall objective is to
investigate and assess the feasibility of a much
needed national maritime situational awareness
service
The satellite design is based on the modular GNB (Generic
Nanosatellite Bus) of UTIAS/SFL first introduced in the
CanX-6 / NTS mission (launch April 28, 2008). The GNB
was originally developed for the BRITE (BRIght-star
Target Explorer) constellation of Austria and for the
CanX-4/-5 missions (all under development as of 2008),
and is now also being leveraged for other missions as well.
The GNB platform is a cube of 20 cm side
length, using an Al 6061-T6 structure,
featuring two internal trays and six external
panels. A dual tray structure was selected to
maximize the payload bay and to provide
ease of integration. The two trays contain all
the necessary components for a basic
satellite mission, including communications,
attitude determination and control, power
and thermal/structural components.
A dual battery, gallium arsenide triple-junction solar cell
based power system that includes peak power tracking
capabilities

 • A full 3-axis attitude determination and control system

that allows arbitrary inertial or orbit-frame alignment
(including nadir, along-track and cross-track)

 • A powerful complement of on-board computer

processing systems, this includes a computer dedicated
to payload activities

 • A flexible TT&C and payload data communication

system, allowing for variable and high speed data
downlinks to the ground

 • A large accommodation for payloads, including

volume, pass, power, and spacecraft surface area .
AISSat-1 also includes a custom designed VHF
monopole payload antenna, as shown in . The antenna is
pre-deployed and designed to survive launch conditions
in any orientation. It is also designed to be easily
removed from the spacecraft without removing any of the
spacecraft panels, allowing for easier testing, handling,
and safety during shipment.

On AISSat-1, a mission specific payload OBC is responsible

for interfacing with and collecting data from the AIS sensor
and GPS receiver (the main rational for the GPS receiver is to
provide an accurate clock for the AIS receiver). The computer
allows different data collection, storage, and processing
modes, and permits in-flight updates to the AIS sensor. Each
OBC runs a custom made multi-threaded operating system
called CANOE (Canadian Advanced Nanospace Operating
Environment) allowing it to divide processing time between
multiple tasks in parallel.
AISSat-1 and -2 not only gave Norwegian
governmental users invaluable data and
improved greatly the maritime picture in
remote areas, they also provided industrial
growth in a new Norwegian segment and
demonstrated to Norwegian authorities and
politicians that small satellites were a sensible
and cost-efficient means for Norway to use
new technology to the benefit of a variety of
user groups. However, it was clear that the
resources available (mass, volume, power and
data budget) on the AISSat platforms were
inadequate for a significant development of the
AIS payload and potentially auxiliary
payloads. Therefore a contract for a satellite
bus with increased capacity and capability was
competed with SFL selected as the provider.
 02
Satellite Constellations for Vessels
Safety
 Satellite-Based Automatic Identification Systems
(SAT-AIS) improve vessel tracking and location. Due
to the nature of their activity, it is common for
transatlantic vessels, ships or fishing vessels, to
mention just a few examples, to spend long periods of
time at sea, in isolated areas where it is not possible to
rely on land-based networks to guarantee precise
control over their location at all times.

The use of small satellite constellations can improve

the safety of all types of vessels and can be an
effective measure to prevent certain common problems
related to maritime traffic, such as piracy and illegal
fishing.
Our SAT-AIS Space
Solution
Alén Space provides an end-to-end solution to
orbit our clients’ AIS services. We can help
companies interested in providing maritime
security services, law-enforcement, Search and
Rescue (SAR), maritime surveillance,
environmental solutions and fleet management
services for commercial users (shipping
companies and ship owners).
TOTEM AIS. A high performance SDR (Software Defined
Radio) for small satellites, designed and manufactured by Alén
Space with flight heritage. You can also add a second application
for your TOTEM hardware: ADS-B, Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)
or IoT.

VHF interface, the front-end integrated in TOTEM AIS.

Dedicated software for AIS, developed by Alén Space for use in

space projects, to receive and transmit AIS data.

Mission management. Focus on your AIS service. Alén Space

can handle all the phases involved in getting your project into
space. Our turnkey solution for AIS includes mission design and
system engineering, payload integration, AIV (Assembly,
Integration and Verification), insurance and launch management,
frequency coordination and registration, ground station network
management and operation and execution.
SAT-AIS is being developed through three ARTES programme elements:

ARTES 5 – Specific technology predevelopment activities, including antenna

miniaturisation, receiver developments, and a performance testbed in the form of an end-
to-end simulator.

ARTES 20 – Implementation and validation of a Data Processing Centre as “space node”

in close cooperation with and co-funding from the European Maritime Safety Agency for
full data integration into SafeSeaNet services.

ARTES 21 phase 1 – Initial steps of the system design and implementation, including
estimating the economic potential by means of a cost-benefit analysis of an Operational
Demonstration Mission (ODEM), system design studies, comparative performance
assessments, as well the exploration of a possible Public Private Partnership (PPP)
implementation scheme for the European SAT-AIS operational system.
ARTES 21 phase 2 – covers the detailed design and implementation of the SAT-AIS
microsatellites and payloads, and the development of innovative SAT-AIS applications and
services. Following the system definition and trade-off analysis carried out in preliminary
studies, a constellation of so-called microsatellites has been retained as the most cost-effective
solution for providing SAT-AIS services and maintaining its viability. For this commercially-
oriented project, called E-SAIL, LuxSpace will be the industrial prime contractor. In parallel, ESA
is also developing a SAT-AIS payload for the forthcoming Norwegian NORSAT -1 mission,
which will also fly two additional scientific payloads. Kongsberg Seatex is the prime contractor
responsible for defining the technical system requirements, the development, manufacturing,
assembly, test and qualification of the Novel SAT-AIS Receiver, NAIS. The operator of the
NORSAT-1 satellite will be the Norwegian Space Centre (NSC). NSC will be responsible for the
top-level mission requirements.
 AISSat Mission
AISSat-1 was built as an experimental satellite to
investigate the feasibility of collecting AIS data from
space. The satellite quickly proved to meet its expectations
and has since been regarded as an operational satellite.
Telemetry including data download is handled from
Svalbard Satellite Station. From 2015 a second ground
station, at Vardø Vessel Traffic Service Centre, was opened.
Since 2013 operation of the satellite passed to Statsat.
The primary operational goal is the gathering of positioning and course
information from fisheries and ship traffic within the Norwegian EEZ with the
intent of environmental surveillance. The vessel data is used by the Coastal
Administration and in particular Vardø Vessel Traffic Service Centre to
monitor ship traffic. The data is stored and can also be used to collect accurate
statistics on ship traffic in the Arctic. Unlike terrestrial data collection, the
satellite information is not made publicly available. A contributing cause is
that certain fishers many not want to reveal their fishing positions and could
then have chosen to turn off their AIS instead.
The AIS data is used by the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries for surveillance of the
fisheries fleet to identify illegal fishing. Controls involve checking if ships rendezvous
with other ships and when they dock. This information is then controlled with logs.
This means of controlling has been an efficient preventative measure. Beyond use in
the high north, AISSat-1 gradually sweeps above the entire globe in the course of a
twenty-four hour period. This allows tracking of ship traffic in other areas under
Norwegian jurisdiction around Bouvetøya and for instance data for combating piracy
off Africa.

Data can also be used to identify any ship causing an oil spill. There are more
than one thousand annual oil spills and illegal dumping in Norwegian waters.
While observation satellites have previously been able to identify spills, the
satellite AIS monitoring can normally identify the culprit and the data used as
evidence. The Coast Guard, the Custom Service, the Police Service and the
Armed Force can utilize the data from the data.
 03
Review of Satellite-Based AIS for
Monitoring Maritime Fisheries
The AIS was first developed in 1993 by the U.S.
Coast Guard (USCG). At that time, it was called the
Automated Dependent Surveillance Shipboard
Equipment (ADSSE), based on Digital Selective Calling
(DSC) protocol . The required system had to be
continuous that could automatically communicate and
portray a ship’s location to other ships and to
shorebased VTS (Vessel Traffic System).
Currently, the AIS widely uses for improving
maritime safety by enabling a vessel navigator to view
the identity, position and direction of other ships in
their vicinity. The automatic shipboard system
operating on marine VHF channels for the purpose of
transmitting and receiving vessel position, speed,
heading and other vessel specific information. The AIS
communication makes use of two VHF frequencies;
161.975 MHz and 162.025 MHz, and a bandwidth of 25
kHz
SATTELITE-BASED AIS
MISSIONS
Launched in December 2006:
The first satellite-based AIS, TacSat-2 (Tactical
Satellite-2) was a DoD technology demonstration
mission of AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory)
within AFRL's (Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM). The
Navy’s Target Indicator Experiment (TIE) payload was
designed and developed to collect the AIS message from
space, and made use of a phased array antenna to reduce
the other in-band and near-band licensed spectrum users.
The on-orbit results showed the TIE payload
successfully collected AIS messages from space, even in
areas of high traffic density, supporting maritime safety
and security [14]. TacSat-2 used S-band frequency for
downlink AIS data with 5 Mbit/s to the ground station.
TacSat-2 reentered Earth's atmosphere on 5 February 2011.
Launched in April 2008:
The CanX-6 was a nano-satellite demonstration
mission of UTIAS/SFL (University of Toronto, Institute
for Aerospace Studies/Space Flight Laboratory) in
collaboration with COM DEV International Ltd. to
develop and demonstrate key elements of spaceborne
AIS technology. This spacecraft was also known
as NTS (Nanosatellite Tracking Ships) . As a
technology demonstration, the CanX-6/NTS mission
originally expected to survive in orbit-operation only for
1 month, and hoped to characterise the RF environment
for last as long as 6 months. Nevertheless, the CanX6/NTS
spacecraft operated nominally in 2012, and
became an operational part of the exactView
constellation until April 2015. The CanX-6 made
use of S-band downlink (GMSK modulation, AX.25
protocol) with data rates between 32 kbit/s and up to 1
Mbit/s for transmitting AIS data to the ground station.
Launched in July 2009:
Two of 25 cm cubesat, AprizeSat-3 and -4,
had dual-purpose mission to demonstrate AIS
instrument and M2M (machine to machine)
technologies. The collected AIS data can be
downlinked to the ground station over the
UHF and S-band frequencies. In addition,
both satellites were capable of producing
analog recordings of AIS message traffic on
either channel or both, simultaneously. The
recordings can then be “played back” on
either the UHF or S-band frequencies. The
advantage of recording and transmitting the
AIS signal samples in analog as opposed to
digital is that the samples can be transmitted
with far less bandwidth as analog signals,
reducing antenna size and power
requirements . The last nominal operation was
updated in 2011. Currently, there is no mission
status report.
Launched in September 2009:
The Rubin-9.1 (AIS-Pathfinder 2) was developed for
providing an insight into the issue of message collisions
that limit detection in areas of dense shipping. Whereas
the Rubin-9.2 payload was developed to test and qualify
nano-technologies from Angstrom and to continue space
based maritime AIS receiver experiments .
Currently, there is no mission status report.
Launched in September 2009:
The SumbandilaSat (formerly ZASat-002) was a
pathfinder mission of the University of Stellenbosch,
SunSpace Ltd. (a spin-off company of the University of
Stellenbosch), and SAC (Satellite Application Center) of
CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research),
Pretoria, South Africa [20]. One experimental payload
was SDR (Software Defined Radio) receiver. The AIS
signals reception was a one of SDR features.
Unfortunately, the AIS reception experiment cannot be
performed to receive real AIS transmissions at sea, due
to the radio front-end was not designed to receive in the
160 MHz band. The satellite’s primary mission came to
end of operation in July 2011 due to the ADCS and
power systems onboard spacecraft.
Launched in April 2011:
The HIP-1 accommodated on-board the ISRO’s Launched in August 2011:
(Indian Space Research Organization) remote Two microsatellites, AprizeSat-5 [exactView-5
sensing (EV5)] and AprizeSat-6 [ exactView-6 (EV-6)] were
satellite, Resourcesat-2, was a AIS payload of COM developed by SpaceQuest or COM DEV/exactEarth.
DEV International Ltd. This AIS service on-board The Ownership of AprizeSat 5 and 6 was transferred
the to exactEarth after a 90 days check out phase .
Resourcesat-2 became a part of the exactView Currently, there is no mission status report of EV-5,
constellation, known as exactView 2 or EV-2 . The but EV-6 is still operating in space.
HIP-1 design was based on the AIS-MS03 which
provided by Honeywell. The AIS data was
downlinked
to the ground station by S-band communication
based Launched in July 2012:
Launched
on in October 2011Shift
QPSK (Quadra-Phase and Keying)
January 2012:
modulation ExactView-1 (EV-1), formerly known as ADS-1B
scheme, at high data rate up to 16 Mbit/s of two
The VesselSat was refer to a constellation (AIS Data Services-1B) was built under contract for
microsatellites (VesselSat-1 and VesselSat-2), which exactEarth. The advanced AIS transceiver payload
built by LuxSpace Sarl, and leased to Orbcomm for system provided by d COM DEV Europe (UK). The
AIS spacecraft platform was built at SSTL on the SSTL-
data. The AIS data collected from both satellites was 100
downlinked from 64 up to 512 kbit/s, various platform. The AIS data was downlinked by C-band
modulations, error correction, encryption selectable, communication, using QPSK and OQPSK methods, at
via data rate up to 20 Mbit/s .
UHF frequency . In March 2016, both VesselSat-1
and -2 have stopped responding, and have completed
an
Launched in February 2013: Launched in November 2013:
The AAUSat3 was the third student-developed 1U Two microsatellites, AprizeSat-7 (EV-5R) and
CubeSat in the Department of Electronic Systems of AprizeSat-8 (EV-12) were launched to reinforce
Aalborg University (AAU), Aalborg, Denmark. The the exactView constellation. Currently, both
objective of the AAUSat3 mission was to fly two satellites are operating in space [28].
different types of AIS (Automated Identifications
System) receivers. One of the AIS receivers onboard
Launched in July 2017:
AAUSat3 was an SDR (Software Defined Radio) based
NSC (Norwegian Space Center) awarded the
AIS receiver, which based on a DSP module from
contract to UTIAS/SFL for constructing two satellites.
Bluetechnix. The other one was a conventional
NorSat-1 (< 30 kg) carried three instruments: An AIS
hardware
receiver, a Langmuir Probe Instrument, and CLARA
AIS receiver, which its design was based on the Analog
(Compact Lightweight Absolute Radiometer), intended
Devices ADF 7021 radio transceiver. The goal was to
to observe total solar irradiation and variations over
investigate the quality of ship monitoring from space.
time. The NORSAT-2 satellite, with a mass of 16 kg,
The AIS data was downlinked to ground station by
carried a AIS receiver from Kongsberg Seatex, along
using
with a VDE (VHF Data Exchange) payload that was
UHF frequency. The impressive result of received AIS
enable two-way communication at higher data rates than
signals from 1U cubesat (0.8 kg) showed in Fig 3 [27].
possible with AIS [31].
In October 2014, the AAUSat3 mission was end of life
due to battery
Launched inproblems.
July 2014:
AISSat-2 was build-to-print copy of AISSat-1, and Launched in June 2014:
to Two microsatellites, AprizeSat-9 (EV-11) and
serve as an in-orbit spare for AISSat-1. The last AprizeSat-10 (EV-13) were launched to
updated status, March 2, 2016: AISSat-1 and reinforce the exactView constellation.
AISSat-2 were still operational. Currently, there is Currently, both satellites are operating in space
no mission status report of both missions [28].
04
M6P and M12P Nano-Satellite Buses for
AIS Missions
ABOUT THE AUTOMATIC
IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
AISSat-1 was built as an experimental satellite to
investigate the feasibility of collecting AIS data from
space. The satellite quickly proved to meet its expectations
and has since been regarded as an operational satellite.
Telemetry including data download is handled from
Svalbard Satellite Station. From 2015 a second ground
station, at Vardø Vessel Traffic Service Centre, was opened.
Since 2013 operation of the satellite passed to Statsat.
The primary operational goal is the gathering of positioning and course
information from fisheries and ship traffic within the Norwegian EEZ with the
intent of environmental surveillance. The vessel data is used by the Coastal
Administration and in particular Vardø Vessel Traffic Service Centre to
monitor ship traffic. The data is stored and can also be used to collect accurate
statistics on ship traffic in the Arctic. Unlike terrestrial data collection, the
satellite information is not made publicly available. A contributing cause is
that certain fishers many not want to reveal their fishing positions and could
then have chosen to turn off their AIS instead.
ENABLING AIS BY
SATELLITE
Satellite-AIS (S-AIS) is complimentary and
backup systems for terrestrial marine radar
infrastructure expand its territorial coverage
beyond coastal areas to the high seas, where
establishing terrestrial infrastructure is neither
practical nor possible. It increases reliability of
current AIS data collection and solves data
collision problems over densely populated
marine traffic corridors
NANOAVIONICS SOLUTION
NanoAvionics Multi-purpose 6U and 12U size Nano-satellite
Buses (M6P/M12P) combined with the AIS receiver “Polaris” is
optimized for AIS data acquisition and distribution applications.
Technological solutions developed by NanoAvionics comply
with most national and international Maritime Safety Agency
requirements for current terrestrial requirements (message
latency, acquired database refresh rates, downlink speed, data
quality, availability and system reliability) and expand maritime
safety resources.

NanoAvionics buses provide the AIS receiver with a safe,

reliable and flight-proven environment. By default,
NanoAvionics ensures that the receiver is targeting with a
market leading accuracy, is thermally and mechanically
sound and operating at 100% duty cycle. An AIS mission
can be done with just a single satellite, resulting in 4 – 15
passes per region per day, or in a constellation, where the
region could be monitored continually throughout the day.
ADS-B
(Automatic
Dependent
Surveillance-
Broadcast) over
Satellite
What is a ADS-B
Air traffic service providers and regulators around the world are moving
toward airspace and flight operations to enable greater flexibility and
adaptability, along with assuring improved traffic flow, capacity,
efficiency, and safety. A key part is the transition from radar surveillance
to ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) to track
airplanes in flight and on the ground more accurately and reliably.

ADS-B is a new surveillance technology designed to help modernize

the air transportation system. It provides foundational technology for
improvements related to NextGen (Next Generation Air Transportation
System) and SESAR [Single European Sky ATM (Air Traffic
Management) Research Program]. NextGen refers to the effort of the
U.S. FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to transform the ATC (Air
Traffic Control) system to support a larger volume of airplanes more
efficiently. SESAR is a similar effort in Europe, the EU (European
Community and Eurocontrol are the founding members of SESAR.)
In 2008, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) started to
investigate the option to receive the 1090ES ADS-B signals
broadcasted by aircraft on board of LEO (Low Earth Orbiting)
satellites. The efforts resulted in the DLR project ADS-B over
Satellite (AOS), with the goal to develop an ADS-B payload
for an IOD (In-Orbit Demonstration) and thereby demonstrate
the feasibility of worldwide satellite based ADS-B
surveillance.
Terrestrial ADS-B:
ADS-B is considered as an essential component of any future air traffic management
system. It is incorporated in the U.S. NextGen (Next-Generation Air Transportation
System) as well as in the SESAR [Single European Sky ATM (Air Traffic Management)
Research] initiative and will provide enhanced surveillance capabilities. Ground based
ADS-B stations are increasingly deployed, but the coverage area is limited typically to a
few hundreds of kilometers. Air Services Australia, as an example, installed a huge
number of ADS-B ground stations in order to cover the entire continent above FL (Flight
Level ) 300 eventually.
However, an adequate solution for a global surveillance of air traffic movements based on ground
based ADS-B appears to be out of scope due to technical, operational and political constraints:

 - Oceanic Coverage would implicate the deployment of ADS-B stations on innumerous buoys.

 - Terrestrial Coverage would implicate the deployment and operation of ADS-B stations in
inaccessible terrain.

 - The global airspace is fragmented and thus operated by a large number of local ATC providers.

 - Political obstacles in particular in unstable regions prevent any transnational regulation and
operation.
SSR including Mode-S is using an uplink frequency of
1030MHz in order to interrogate aircraft within operating
coverage. Possible interrogations are e.g. the Mode-S-All-
Call (any aircraft within the coverage will respond to the
call) or selective interrogations for identity, altitude and
other information using the worldwide unique technical
Mode-S-address assigned to every aircraft. Once an
aircraft has been interrogated, it will reply on the
1090MHz downlink channel. As ADS-B is an automatic
broadcast system, it does not need an interrogation and
just makes use of the 1090 MHz Mode-S downlink format
DF17 employing a PPM (Pulse Position Modulation) and
random channel access. ADS-B messages are generated at
intervals specified for the diverse message types as given
in the 1090 MHz Extended Squitter minimum operational
performance standards, and transmitted alternately from
the top and the bottom ATC antenna of an aircraft. The
DF17 contains position, altitude, identity, flight direction,
speed and aircraft status in consecutive messages. At the
receivers side the messages will be assembled to ADS-B
reports, using the Mode-S address comprised in the
messages.
Spaceborne ADS-B:
Only satellites have the capability to provide a global coverage at any possible flight
level, avoiding limitations imposed by terrestrial ADS-B. This could be implemented by
receiving ADS-B signals, which are broadcasted regularly by each equipped aircraft and
which contain information on position, speed, direction etc. by LEO satellites. This data
can then be made available to already existing ATC ground infrastructures.

Therefore, a satellite-based surveillance network will provide enhanced Air Traffic

Services in areas where the traffic density, the location, or the cost of "conventional"
ATC equipment would not justify any installation of radar and/or terrestrial ADS-B. It
can also include VHF coverage fringe areas and areas where existing radar is to be de-
commissioned, and where the replacement costs are not justified.
First ADS-B receiver demonstration on the PROBA-V
minisatellite
The focus of "ADS-B over Satellite" is primarily on the en-route phase of
aircraft. Departure/climbing and/or approach/landing as well as the Taxi
inbound and outbound TMA (Traffic Management Advisor) areas, was not
concentrated upon.

The primary goal of the DLR project ADS-B over Satellite was to
demonstrate the feasibility of an orbital ADS-B system by means of an In
Orbit Demonstration and to evaluate the characteristics and performances
which may be important for future space based air traffic control systems.
In initial experiments, the project has already proved to be successful. In 2009, during a series of high-
altitude balloon flights in northern Sweden, the receiver was able to pinpoint an aircraft flying 1100 km away,
from a height of about 30 km. For example, the project could 'see' a flight from Beijing to Amsterdam over
the North Sea. In a further experiment in 2012, the researchers flew their receiver on a balloon at an altitude
of 40 km and examined the interfering signals that it must cope with in a heavily flown and radar-monitored
area. During these test flights, a terrestrial ADS-B receiver has been used and basic assumptions regarding
the maximum reception distance in NRA could be verified

The idea with this ADS-B receiver system is to take it as a hosted payload on a satellite, foregoing any costly
equipment upgrades, and investigate if it is technically feasible to receive ADS-B signals in orbit. PROBA-V
will demonstrate how many aircraft can be observed worldwide and which types – different-sized aircraft are
assigned ADS-B systems with differing signal strengths. Over the next two years, researchers intend to test,
for the first time, whether continuous monitoring of aviation routes is possible. At present, this cannot be
achieved in non-radar airspace; location monitoring from space could close this gap.

When an aircraft flies over the major oceans, large areas without infrastructure or the Polar Regions, it is no
longer trackable by ground radar stations – the range of the stations is insufficient. But the aircraft
continuously transmit ADS-B signals, with information such as altitude and speed — the DLR project team
wants to make use of this.
Space-based ADS-B Payload
Development for Air Traffic
Surveillance
The Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast system
(ADS-B) is a technology where an aircraft broadcasts its
flight information periodically using a dedicated
transponder at L-band frequencies, with a power of up to
several hundred watts, which is then received by
corresponding ground stations and forwarded to air
traffic control.
From 2020, the utilisation of ADS-B transponders will
be mandatory in most airspaces of the world for
commercial traffic. However, with 71% of the world
covered by oceans, the reach of the presently used
terrestrial surveillance installation is limited and
current terrestrial coverage has surveillance gaps at
low altitudes and in mountainous areas.
To overcome the impossibility of the establishment of
ground stations everywhere, a possible step is to bring the
ADS-B receiver stations into space and establish global
real-time surveillance of air traffic. Such a system will
detect ADS-B signals broadcasted by each aircraft on a
regular basis and make this data available to air traffic
control stations.

Thus, the objective of this activity consisted in

the design, development and manufacturing of
an ADS-B receiver and antenna for a small
satellite mission, which was denoted as SABIP
(SpaceBased ADS-B Payload Development for
Air Traffic Surveillance).
Thank’s For Your
Attention