Session
Technical Session VIII: Advanced Subsystems and Components I
Abstract
This paper will discuss a number of technologies and design philosophies leveraged from commercial industry that AeroAstro has applied to the development of a new spacecraft communications subsystem. Although there has been a recent push toward reducing spacecraft mass and cost, there is no commercially available communications equipment that will significantly contribute to that reduction. While spacecraft mass has dropped more than an order of magnitude in the past ten years, radios have not followed this trend. AeroAstro is developing a highly integrated, power-efficient, low operating voltage X-Band telemetry transponder for small satellite applications. This design leverages emerging technology from the telecommunications industry, using RF component technology developed for digital wireless communications and Direct Broadcast Entertainment. By making use of these advances, and continuing development in a few key areas, AeroAstro’s transponder is designed specifically to provide low-cost, low-voltage, and low-mass earth-to-space communications. The X-Band radio under development includes a high scale of integration, a very low mass and volume, a high level of power efficiency, and the ability to operate from low voltage supplies. Flexibility is key to the design philosophy, and the communications equipment can be configured to satisfy a wide variety of missions.
AeroAstro’s X-Band Transponder – Meeting the Communication Needs of Tomorrow’s Small Spacecraft
This paper will discuss a number of technologies and design philosophies leveraged from commercial industry that AeroAstro has applied to the development of a new spacecraft communications subsystem. Although there has been a recent push toward reducing spacecraft mass and cost, there is no commercially available communications equipment that will significantly contribute to that reduction. While spacecraft mass has dropped more than an order of magnitude in the past ten years, radios have not followed this trend. AeroAstro is developing a highly integrated, power-efficient, low operating voltage X-Band telemetry transponder for small satellite applications. This design leverages emerging technology from the telecommunications industry, using RF component technology developed for digital wireless communications and Direct Broadcast Entertainment. By making use of these advances, and continuing development in a few key areas, AeroAstro’s transponder is designed specifically to provide low-cost, low-voltage, and low-mass earth-to-space communications. The X-Band radio under development includes a high scale of integration, a very low mass and volume, a high level of power efficiency, and the ability to operate from low voltage supplies. Flexibility is key to the design philosophy, and the communications equipment can be configured to satisfy a wide variety of missions.
