Development and Ground Demonstration of a Satellite Communication Terminal for Future Space Missions

As commercial companies continue to develop communication services and infrastructure in near-Earth orbit, NASA is actively pursuing commercially-led satellite communications for future missions. Many of these commercial services are offered in the K/Ka-band, ranging from 17 to 31 GHz, covering spectrum allocated to commercial networks, military, and civilian government space operations, and can be tailored to support orbiting spacecraft. A key enabling technology needed for this vision is a multi-frequency (wideband), multi-waveform user terminal which can operate over multiple services. This presentation discusses the work undertaken at NASA’s Glenn Research Center to develop a RF user spacecraft terminal. Specifications and design considerations that support interoperability will be discussed as well as off the shelf technology gaps. Furthermore, simulation and benchtop testing results will be discussed as well as details of the initial successful over-the-air demonstrations using NASA, Inmarsat, and SES services.