There is one quality that one must

possess to win, and that is

definiteness of purpose, the
knowledge of what one wants, and a
burning desire to possess it.
-Napoleon Hill

INSTRUCTOR: ENGR. RYAN DE LEON RIVERA

COMMUNICATIONS
SATELLITE
A Microwave
Repeater in the sky
that consists of a
receiver,
transmitter,
multiplexers and
demultiplexers and
antenna.

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Moon
The first satellite used
A passive reflector

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
wrote the first wellknown article on
communication
satellites.
"Extra-Terrestrial
Relays" was
published in
Wireless World in
1945

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Sputnik 1 (1957)
The worlds first
active satellite
Transmitted
telemetry
information for 21
days

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Sputnik 2
first to carry a
living animal, a
dog named Laika

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Explorer 1
Launched by US
in 1958
Transmitted
telemetry
information for 5
months

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
SCORE
Stands for Signal
Communication by
Orbital Relay
First communication
satellite
broadcasted a
Christmas message
from President
Eisenhower - "Peace
on Earth, Good will
toward men"

 This is the President of the United

States speaking. Through the marvels
of scientific advance, my voice is
coming to you via a satellite circling in
outer space. My message is a simple
one: Through this unique means I
convey to you and all mankind,
America's wish for peace on Earth and
goodwill toward men everywhere

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Echo
Launched by US
Passive reflector
which is made up
of plastic balloon
with aluminum
coating

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Courier
The first transponder
type satellite
Lasted only for 17
days

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Telstar 1
first ever such
satellite able to
relay television
signals.
Lasted only for a
few weeks because
it was damaged by
Van Allen belts
It was then followed
by Telstar 2

Van Allen belts

is a torus of
energetic
charge particles
(plasma)
around Earth,
which is held in
place by Earth's
magnetic field.

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
PROJECT SYNCOM
Demonstrated the
feasibility of
geosynchronous
satellite
Syncom 1
Syncom 2
first geosynchronous
satellite
Syncom 3
- was used to broadcast
1964 Olympic Games in
Tokyo

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Intelsat
Called the Early
Bird
First commercial
telecommunicatio
ns satellite

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Molniya
First set of
domestic
satellites
lightning

HISTORY OF SATELLITES
Agila 1 (Palapa)
Was launched on
March 20, 1987

Agila 2
Also known as
Mabuhay 1

Sample Question No. 1

Sputnik 1 was launched on

A. October 4, 1957
B. August 4, 1957
C. September 4, 1957
D. December 4, 1957

Sample Question No. 2

IIntelsat VI has a capacity of _______
voice channels

A. 60,000
B. 70,000
C. 80,000
D. 90,000

Sample Question No. 3

The first commercial satellite
launched by Canada with a name
which means little brother

A. Anik
B. Inuit
C. Imao
D. Sputnik

Sample Question No. 4

Iis a term generally associated with a
table showing the position of a heavenly
body on a number of dates in a regular
sequence

A. Euphemeris
B. Ephemeris
C. Luphemeris
D. Anupheris

KEPLERS LAW
A Law which governs
satellite motion
The law of planetary
motion describe the
shape of the orbit,
the velocities of the
planet and the
distance of the planet
is with respect to the
sun
Discovered by
Johannes Kepler

Keplers First Law

States that a satellite will orbit a
primary body following an elliptical
path.

Keplers Second Law

Known as the law of areas.
States that for equal intervals of time
a satellite will sweep out equal areas
in the orbital plane, focused at the
center.

Keplers Second Law

Keplers Third Law

Also known as Harmonic law.
The square of the periodic time of
orbit is proportional to the cube of
the mean distance between the
primary and the satellite

Satellite Orbital Patterns

Elliptical Orbits
Circular Inclined Orbit
Circular Orbit with Zero Inclination
Polar Orbit

Basic Terms used to

describe orbits
Apogee- the point in the orbit that is
located farthest from the earth
Perigee- the point in an orbit that is
located closest to the earth

Basic Terms used to

describe orbits
Major Axis- the line joining the
perigee and apogee through the
center of the earth. Line of Apsides
Minor Axis the line perpendicular to
the major axis and halfway between
the perigee and apogee

Minor axis

PERIGEE

EART
H

APOGEE

Major axis

Elliptical Orbit

Circular Inclined Orbit

Circular orbit with zero

inclination

Orbits of Non-Synchronous
Satellites
Prograde or Posigrade
Retrograde

Prograde or Posigrade

Retrograde

SATELLITE ORBIT
CHARACTERISTICS
Height
Is simply the distance of the satellite
from the earth

Speed
For a circular orbit, speed is constant
For an elliptical orbit, the speed varies
depending upon the height

SATELLITE ORBIT
CHARACTERISTICS
Angle of inclination
angle between the equatorial plane of
the earth and the orbital plane of the
satellite

SATELLITE ORBIT
CHARACTERISTICS
Angle of Elevation
Is the angle that appears between the
line from the earths station antenna to
the satellite and the line between the
earths station antenna and the horizon

SATELLITE ELEVATION
CATEGORIES
Low-Earth Orbit (LEO)
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
Geosynchronous or Geostationary
Orbit (GEO)

Satellite Telephone Systems

Using LEO and MEO Satellites
Iridium comprises of 66 LEO Satellites
in a complex constellation

Satellite Telephone Systems

Using LEO and MEO Satellites
Globalstar consists of 48 LEO
Satellites used for satellite telephony
Teledesic consists of 288 LEO
Satellites used for broadband
communications

The Little LEOs

ORBCOMM It uses 35 LEO Satellites.
This is used for SMS, Email and vehicle
tracking.
LEO One similar to ORBCOMM using 48
satellites. Used for paging and short
messaging
E-Sat 6 Satellites

Systems Using MEO

Ellipso
Combination of
elliptical and circular
orbits
Initially include six
satellites (later
increasing to 10) in
circular orbit and eight
satellites in elliptical
orbit
Is expected to be used
for voice
communication

Systems Using MEO

IICO
stands for intermediate circular orbit
10 satellites
used for voice and data services

Geostationary Satellite
A satellite which orbits Earth above
the equator with the same angular
velocity as the earth
Clarke Orbit
Is the other name of a geosynchronous
orbit

Geostationary Satellite
Characteristics
Located directly above the equator
Travel in the same direction as
Earths rotation at 6840 mph
Have an altitude of 22,300 miles
above the earth
Complete one revolution in 24 hours

Advantages of
Geostationary Satellites
Geosynchronous satellites remain
almost stationary in respect to a
given earth station
Available to all earth stations within
their shadow 100% of the time
There is no need to switch from one
satellite to another

disadvantages of
Geostationary Satellites
Requiires sophisticated and heavy
propulsion devices
Longer propagation delays
Require high transmit powers
High precision spacemanship is
required to place a geosynchronous
satellite into orbit and keep it there

ANTENNA LOOK ANGLES

Angle of Elevation
Azimuth

Angle of Elevation
It is the vertical angle formed
between the direction of travel of
electromagnetic wave radiated from
an earth station antenna pointing
directly towards a satellite and the
horizontal plane.

Azimuth
It is the horizontal angular distance
from a reference direction, either the
southern or northern most point of
the horizon.
Azimuth angle is defined as the
horizontal pointing angle of an earth
station antenna.

Range or Distance

Sample Question No. 5

Calculate the length of the path of a
geostationary satellite from an earth
station where the angle of elevation is 30
degrees

A. 29 x 10^3 km
B. 39 x 10^3 km
C. 49 x 10^3 km
D. 59 x 10 ^3 km

Ssample question 6
As the height of a satellite orbits gets
lower, the speed of the satellite

A. Increases
B. Decreases
C. Remains the same
D. None of the above

Sample Question No. 7

The main function of a
communications satellite is

A. Repeater
B. Reflector
C. Beacon
D. Observation platform

Sample Question No. 8

Most satellites in which frequency
band?

A. 30-300 MHz
B. 300 MHz 3 GHz
C. 3 GHz-30 GHz
D. Above the 300 GHz

Sample Question No. 9

The main power sources of a satellite
is

A. Batteries
B. Solar panels
C. Fuel Cells
D. generator

Sample Question No. 9

Tthe maximum height of an elliptical
orbit is called the

A. Perigee
B. Apex
C. Zenith
D. apogee

Satellite Antenna Radiation

Pattern
The Geographical
representation of
a satellite
antennas
radiation pattern
is called a
FOOTPRINT or
FOOTPRINT MAP.

Spot and Zonal Beams

The smallest
beams.
Spot beams
concentrate their
power to very small
geographical areas.
Spot and Zonal
Beams blanket less
than 10% of the
Earth surface.

Hemispherical Beams
Hemispherical down-link antennas
typically target up to 20% of the
Earths surface.

Earth or Global Beams

Radiation patterns of earth coverage
antennas have a beamwidth of
approximately 17 degrees and
capable of covering 42% of the Earths
surface.

Inside the Satellite

BUS
A spacecraft bus
provides the physical
platform and
necessary support
functions for the
operation of a
spacecraft. The bus is
the infrastructure of a
spacecraft, usually
providing locations for
the payload (typically
space experiments or
instruments)

Satellite Modules
The Structural Subsystems
The Telemetry Subsystems
The Power Subsystems
The Thermal Control Subsystems
The Attitude and Orbit
Controlled
Control
Subsystems

The Structural
Subsystems
The structural subsystem provides
the mechanical base structure,
shields the satellite from extreme
temperature changes and micrometeorite damage, and controls the
satellites spin functions.

The Telemetry
Subsystems
The telemetry subsystem monitors
the on-board equipment operations,
transmits equipment operation data
to the earth control station, and
receives the earth control stations
commands to perform equipment
operation adjustments.

The Power Subsystems

The power subsystem consists of
solar panels and backup batteries
that generate power when the
satellite passes into the earths
shadow. Nuclear power sources
(Radioisotope thermoelectric
generators) have been used in
several successful satellite programs.

The Attitude and Orbit

Controlled Control
Subsystems

The attitude and orbit controlled

subsystem consists of small rocket
thrusters that keep the satellite in
the correct orbital position and keep
antennas positioning in the right
directions.

SATELLITE LAUNCHING

SATELLITE ORIENTATION
Spin-Axis Stabilization
Most common type
Once, the satellite is in the proper orbit,
a jet thruster is fired to begin spinning
the satellite

Three-Axis Stabilization
Has three axes pitch, roll and yaw

Spin-Axis Stabilization

Three-Axis Stabilization

Important Formulas

Satellite Velocity
11

v =3.6
where:

4 x 10
d + 6400
v =3.6

4 x 1011
d + 6400

v = velocity km/hr

where:

v = velocity km/hr

d = distance above earth surface km

d = distance above earth surface km

Declination

R sin L
= arctan
H + R 1 - cosL

where:
R = radius of the earth
H = height of the satellite above the earth
L = earth-station latitude

Figure of Merit
G/T dB = GR dB - 10 log Ta + Teq
where:
G/T dB = figure of merit for the receiving system
GR dB = the gain of the antenna

Ta = noise equiv. temp. of the antenna

Teq =the equiv. noise temp. of the receiver

Carrier-to-Noise Ratio
C/NdBW =EIRPdBW -FSL dB -LMISC +G/T-k dB -10logB
where:
C/NdB = carrier to noise ratio
EIRPdBW = effective isotropic radiated power
FSL dB = free space loss
G/T = figure of merit
k dB = Boltzmann constant in dBW
B = bandwidth in Hz

Sample Problem 1
What is the orbital period of satellite
in a circular orbit which is 500 km
above the earths surface

A. 1 hour
B. 1.2 hours
C. 2.4 hours
D. 1.6 hours

Sample Problem 2
Calculate the angle of declination for
an antenna using a polar mount at a
latitude of 45 degrees.

A. 5.6 degrees
B. 6.8 degrees
C. 8 degrees
D. 8.1 degrees

Sample Problem 3
A receiving antenna with a gain of 40 dBi
looks at a sky with a noise temperature of
15K. The loss between the antenna and
the LNA input due to feedhorn is 0.4 dB.
And the LNA has a noise temperature of
40K. Calculate G/T.

A. 10.6 dB
B. 20.6 dB
C. 30.6 dB
D. 40.6 dB

Sample Problem 4
A typical TVRO installation for use with Cband satellite (downlink at approximately
4 GHz) has a diameter of about 3 m and
an efficieny of 55%. Calculate its gain.

A. 39 dB
B. 35 dB
C. 40 dB
D. 27 dB

Sample Problem 5
A receiver has a noise figure of 1.5
dB. Find its equivalent noise
temperature.

A. 100 K
B. 119 K
C. 88 K
D. 290 K

Additional Information
Hydrazine
The most common gas used for
satellites jet thruster

Subsatellite point
A point on the surface of the earth
directly below the satellite

Additional Information
Bent-pipe configuration
The most common type of a satellite
transponder

Back-of
The term used for the power reduction
of a travelling wave tube in a satellite

Robert Goddard
Robert Goddard
The Father of
The Father
of Modern Rocketry
Modern Rocketry

Wernher von Braun

Hitlers most celebrated
Rocket Scientist

V2 Rocket
The new
Rocket
Design by
von Braun

QUIZ MODE

1. ___________was a British science fiction

author, inventor, and futurist, most famous
for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, his
most important scientific contribution may
be his idea that geostationary satellites
would be ideal telecommunications relays.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Arthur C. Clarke
J.K. Rowling
Thomas Kennely
Mohorovicic van Allen

2. The first artificial satellite was

Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet
Union on 4 October 1957, and that
started the whole Soviet Sputnik
program, with ______as chief
designer. This triggered the Space
Race between the Soviet Union and
the United States.
a. Leo Tolstoy
b. Pyotr Ulyavovich
c. Sergei Korolev
d. Yuri Gagarin

3. In late January 2008, reports from anonymous

U.S. officials indicated a U.S. spy satellite,
later confirmed as ________ was in a
deteriorating orbit and was expected to crash
onto Earth within weeks.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Fly 123
USA 193
Sky 333
Kr- 232

4. What are the three dwarf planets in

the solar system?
a. Moon, Eris, Io
b. Io, Luna, Pluto
c. Ceres, Io, Titan
d. Pluto, Eris, Ceres

5 . In 2004, ___________ became the

first privately funded vehicle to
reach space on a suborbital flight.
a.
b.
c.
d.

SkyLab
SpaceShipOne
International Space Station
Mariner 4

6. ______________is a torus of energetic

charged particles (plasma) around
Earth, held in place by Earth's magnetic
field.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Kuiper belt
Van Allen belt
Judas belt
Clarkes belt

7. In the Compass Navigation System

of China, how many satellites are
there in its constellation?
a. 30
b. 28
c. 24
d. 35

8. The Indian Regional Navigational

Satellite System (IRNSS) is an
autonomous regional satellite navigation
system being developed by Indian Space
Research Organisation. It has _______
number of satellites in its constellation.
a. 12
b. 15
c. 7
d. 3

9. Molniya is a Russian Satellite system

that means Lightning. Molniya
uses the ___________.
a. GEO
b. LEO
c. HEO
d. MEO

10. Inmarsat (international maritime

satellite organization) was
established in 1979, it uses ________
GEO satellites.
a. 12
b. 9
c. 15
d. 5

Answers

1. ___________was a British science fiction

author, inventor, and futurist, most famous
for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, his
most important scientific contribution may
be his idea that geostationary satellites
would be ideal telecommunications relays.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Arthur C. Clarke
J.K. Rowling
Thomas Kennely
Mohorovicic van Allen

2. The first artificial satellite was

Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet
Union on 4 October 1957, and that
started the whole Soviet Sputnik
program, with ______as chief
designer. This triggered the Space
Race between the Soviet Union and
the United States.
a. Leo Tolstoy
b. Pyotr Ulyavovich
c. Sergei Korolev
d. Yuri Gagarin

3. In late January 2008, reports from

anonymous U.S. officials indicated a U.S.
spy satellite, later confirmed as ________ was
in a deteriorating orbit and was expected to
crash onto Earth within weeks.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Fly 123
USA 193
Sky 333
Kr- 232

4. What are the three dwarf planets in

the solar system?
a. Moon, Eris, Io
b. Io, Luna, Pluto
c. Ceres, Io, Titan
d. Pluto, Eris, Ceres

5 . In 2004, ___________ became the

first privately funded vehicle to
reach space on a suborbital flight.
a.
b.
c.
d.

SkyLab
SpaceShipOne
International Space Station
Mariner 4

6. ______________is a torus of energetic

charged particles (plasma) around
Earth, held in place by Earth's magnetic
field.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Kuiper belt
Van Allen belt
Judas belt
Clarkes belt

7. In the Compass Navigation System

of China, how many satellites are
there in its constellation?
a. 30
b. 28
c. 24
d. 35

8. The Indian Regional Navigational

Satellite System (IRNSS) is an
autonomous regional satellite navigation
system being developed by Indian Space
Research Organisation. It has _______
number of satellites in its constellation.
a. 12
b. 15
c. 7
d. 3

9. Molniya is a Russian Satellite system

that means Lightning. Molniya
uses the ___________.
a. GEO
b. LEO
c. HEO
d. MEO

10. Inmarsat (international maritime

satellite organization) was
established in 1979, it uses ________
GEO satellites.
a. 12
b. 9
c. 15
d. 5