Test Method for Single Satellite’s Inter-Satellite Link Pointing and Tracking via Ground Station

An inter-satellite link is a key technology that improves control accuracy, transmission efficiency, and autonomous capability of constellations. A satellite’s pointing and tracking abilities mainly determine the inter-satellite link’s performance, which should be validated through an in-orbit test....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aerospace 2024-09, Vol.11 (9), p.713
Main Authors: Hong, Zhenqiang, Huang, Xuxing, Yang, Lifeng, Bian, Zhiqiang, Yang, Yong, Li, Shuang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Analysis
Constellations
Construction
ground station
Ground stations
in-orbit test
inter-satellite link
Intersatellite communications
Lasers
Methods
Newton-Raphson method
Numerical analysis
Numerical simulations
pointing and tracking
Receivers & amplifiers
Satellite communications
Satellite constellations
Satellite tracking
Satellites
Simulation methods
Test methods
Transmission efficiency
virtual satellite
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Summary:An inter-satellite link is a key technology that improves control accuracy, transmission efficiency, and autonomous capability of constellations. A satellite’s pointing and tracking abilities mainly determine the inter-satellite link’s performance, which should be validated through an in-orbit test. However, during the construction of the constellation, the distribution of satellites does not satisfy the constraints of establishing the inter-satellite link. A test method for inter-satellite link pointing and tracking is developed with respect to a single satellite. A practical mission scenario for testing inter-satellite links’ performance is constructed. A virtual satellite is introduced as the target satellite to establish an inter-satellite link with the local satellite. The orbit of the virtual target satellite between two ground stations is characterized based on the Newton–Raphson method. By comparing the predicted and actual time differences between two ground stations receiving the signals from the local satellite, the inter-satellite link pointing and tracking abilities are evaluated independently. Numerical simulations verify the design of the virtual satellite. The single satellite test method for inter-satellite link pointing and tracking abilities is available.
ISSN:2226-4310
2226-4310
DOI:10.3390/aerospace11090713