Chapter 3
Satellite Subsystems
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.)
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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
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Earth
o
Equator
s
Yaw
Roll
Axis
Axis
Pitch
Axis
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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.)
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TELEMETRY
MONITOR ALL IMPORTANT
TEMPERATURE
VOLTAGES
CURRENTS
SENSORS
TRANSMIT DATA TO EARTH
RECORD DATA AT TTC&M STATIONS
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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)
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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.
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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”
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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
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