The Design and Role of a Low Cost Semi-Automated Mobile Ground Station in the Tracking and Commanding of Low Earth Orbit Satellites

The traditional ground station consists of a building full of specialized hardware and a large stationary antenna operated by a group of on-site personnel. Reduced budgets have forced project managers to re-evaluate this concept in search of ways to save money. To this end, PC-based systems have been developed that reduce hardware costs and the number of machines and personne I necessary to perform station tasks. In this paper, we will take this concept to the next level. By improving on the current PC-based systems we will further reduce the hardware and personnel costs, and by introducing the concept of a mobile ground station for low earth orbit (LEO) satellites we will reduce real estate costs while conceivably reducing the number of ground stations required. Together these ideas form the basis for the future of low cost ground station support