2 deg spacing - Its impact on domestic satellite systems
Abstract
The provision of greater domestic satellite systems capacity through a reduction of satellite angular separation from 4.0 to 2.0 deg, making more orbital positions available, is considered from the standpoint of uplink and downlink interference mechanisms. It is determined that, while a 2.0-deg spacing requires improvements in antenna technology which may render existing facilities obsolete, and whose costs remain to be balanced against the economic gains represented by the greater number of orbital slots, an intermediate, 3.0-deg spacing for C-band domestic satellites presents few technical impediments. Most traffic modes will experience only modest reduction in system margins at this spacing, and no significant performance degradations. The standardization of spacecraft frequency and polarization plans, along with off-axis polarization discrimination in existing earth station antennas, offer means of recovering lost system margins.
- Publication:
-
Satellite Communications
- Pub Date:
- November 1981
- Bibcode:
- 1981SatCo...5...32B
- Keywords:
-
- Angular Resolution;
- Domestic Satellite Communications Systems;
- Ground Stations;
- Satellite Networks;
- Satellite Transmission;
- Spacing;
- Antenna Design;
- Cost Effectiveness;
- Downlinking;
- Power Gain;
- Satellite Orbits;
- Transmission Efficiency;
- Uplinking;
- Communications and Radar