Fdocuments - in Chapter 3 Satellite Subsystems 1

Chapter 3
Satellite Subsystems
1
SPACECRAFT SUBSYSTEMS
Attitude and Orbital Control System (AOCS)

Telemetry Tracking and Command (TT&C)
Power System
Communications System
More usually TTC&M -
Antennas Telemetry, Tracking,
Command, and Monitoring
2
AOCS
AOCS is needed to get the satellite into the correct
orbit and keep it there
Orbit insertion
Orbit maintenance
Fine pointing
Major parts
Attitude Control System
Orbit Control System
3
ORBIT INSERTION - GEO
TWO BASIC TYPES OF GEO INSERTION:
High-Energy Apogee Kick Motor firing
A few minutes, symmetrical about apogee
Low-Energy AOCS burn
Tens of minutes to > one hour burns, symmetrical
about apogee
Uses Dual-Mode thrusters; i.e. thrusters used for
both orbit raising and attitude control
4
ORBIT MAINTENANCE - 1
MUST CONTROL LOCATION IN GEO &
POSITION WITHIN CONSTELLATION
SATELLITES NEED IN-PLANE (E-W) & OUT-OF-

PLANE (N-S) MANEUVERS TO MAINTAIN THE
CORRECT ORBIT
LEO SYSTEMS LESS AFFECTED BY SUN AND

MOON BUT MAY NEED MORE ORBIT-PHASING
CONTROL
5
ORBIT MAINTENANCE - 2
GEO STATION-KEEPING BURNS ABOUT EVERY
4 WEEKS FOR  0.05o
DO N-S AND E-W ALTERNATELY
N-S REQUIRES  10  E-W ENERGY
RECENT APPROACH USES DIFFERENT

THRUSTERS FOR E-W AND N-S
6
FINE POINTING
SATELLITE MUST BE STABILIZED TO PREVENT
NUTATION (WOBBLE)
THERE ARE TWO PRINCIPAL FORMS OF

ATTITUDE STABILIZATION
BODY STABILIZED (SPINNERS, SUCH AS
INTELSAT VI)
THREE-AXIS STABILIZED (SUCH AS THE ACTS,
GPS, ETC.)
7
DEFINITION OF AXES - 1
ROLL AXIS
Rotates around the axis tangent to the orbital plane
(N-S on the earth)
PITCH AXIS
Moves around the axis perpendicular to the orbital
plane (E-W on the earth)
YAW AXIS
Moves around the axis of the subsatellite point
8
Earth
o
Equator
s
Yaw
Roll
Axis
Axis
Pitch
Axis
9
TTC&M
MAJOR FUNCTIONS TTC&M is often
a battle between
Reporting spacecraft health
Operations (who
Monitoring command actions want every little
thing monitored
Determining orbital elements and Engineering
who want to hold
Launch sequence deployment data channels to a
Control of thrusters minimum
Control of payload (communications, etc.)
10
TELEMETRY
MONITOR ALL IMPORTANT
TEMPERATURE
VOLTAGES
CURRENTS
SENSORS
TRANSMIT DATA TO EARTH
RECORD DATA AT TTC&M STATIONS
11
TELEMETRY
TWO TELEMETRY PHASES OR MODES
Non-earth pointing
 During the launch phase
 During “Safe Mode” operations when the spacecraft loses
tracking data
Earth-pointing
 During parts of the launch phase
 During routine operations
12
TRACKING
MEASURE RANGE REPEATEDLY
CAN MEASURE BEACON DOPPLER OR THE

COMMUNICATION CHANNEL
COMPUTE ORBITAL ELEMENTS
PLAN STATION-KEEPING MANEUVERS
COMMUNICATE WITH MAIN CONTROL STATION

AND USERS
13
COMMAND
DURING LAUNCH SEQUENCE
SWITCH ON POWER
DEPLOY ANTENNAS AND SOLAR PANELS
POINT ANTENNAS TO DESIRED LOCATION
IN ORBIT
MAINTAIN SPACECRAFT THERMAL BALANCE
CONTROL PAYLOAD, THRUSTERS, ETC.
14
POWER SYSTEMS
SOLAR CELLS
1.39kW/m2 available from sun
Cells 10 - 15% efficient (BOL=Beginning Of Life)
Cells 7 - 10% efficient (EOL=End of Life)
SOLAR CELL OUTPUT FALLS WHEN

TEMPERATURE RISES
2mV/degree C; Three-Axis hotter (less efficient)
than a spinner
15
POWER SYSTEMS
BATTERIES NEEDED
DURING LAUNCH
DURING ECLIPSE (<70mins)
BATTERY LIMITS
NiCd 50% (DOD=depth of discharge)
NiH2 70% DOD
NOTE: ISS uses 110V bus and will need 110 kW; 30
minute eclipses per day; 55 kW required from batteries
Solution: using Fuel Cells
16
POWER SYSTEMS
BATTERIES ARE “CONDITIONED” BEFORE EACH
ECLIPSE SEASON
BATTERIES DISCHARGED TO LIMIT
BATTERIES THEN RECHARGED
TYPICAL NiH2 BATTERY CAN WITHSTAND

30,000 CYCLES (AMPLE FOR GEO; WOULD BE 5
YEARS IN LEO)
17
COMMUNICATIONS SUB-SYSTEMS
Primary function of a communications satellite (all
other subsystems are to support this one)
Only source of revenue
Design to maximize traffic capacity
Downlink usually most critical (limited output

power, limited antenna sizes).
Early satellites were power limited
Most satellites are now bandwidth limited.

18
SPACECRAFT ANTENNAS
SIMPLE: GLOBAL BEAM, ~17O WID

LOW GAIN, LOW CAPACITY
REGIONAL: NARROW BEAM FROM REFLECTOR

ANTENNA, TYPICALLY 3o  3o OR 3o  6o
ADVANCED: MULTIPLE NARROW BEAMS

STATIONARY, SCANNED, OR “HOPPED”
19
ANTENNA TYPES
HORN
Efficient, Low Gain, Wide Beam
REFLECTOR
 High Gain, Narrow Beam, May have to be
deployed in space
PHASED ARRAY
Complex
Electronically steered
20

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Chapter 3

Attitude and Orbital Control System (AOCS)

SATELLITES NEED IN-PLANE (E-W) & OUT-OF-

LEO SYSTEMS LESS AFFECTED BY SUN AND

DO N-S AND E-W ALTERNATELY

N-S REQUIRES  10  E-W ENERGY

RECENT APPROACH USES DIFFERENT

THERE ARE TWO PRINCIPAL FORMS OF

TRANSMIT DATA TO EARTH

RECORD DATA AT TTC&M STATIONS

CAN MEASURE BEACON DOPPLER OR THE

COMPUTE ORBITAL ELEMENTS

PLAN STATION-KEEPING MANEUVERS

COMMUNICATE WITH MAIN CONTROL STATION

SOLAR CELL OUTPUT FALLS WHEN

TYPICAL NiH2 BATTERY CAN WITHSTAND

Design to maximize traffic capacity

Downlink usually most critical (limited output

Most satellites are now bandwidth limited.

SIMPLE: GLOBAL BEAM, ~17O WID

REGIONAL: NARROW BEAM FROM REFLECTOR

ADVANCED: MULTIPLE NARROW BEAMS

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