CCSDS COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS IN S AND X BAND FOR CUBESATS

Syrlinks has provided to ESA three FMs of its new X-band High Data Rate-TeleMetry (HDR-TM) transmitter for microsatellites. The Proba-V satellite was successfully launched last May 2013 and the transmitters are performing nominally. Following this success, Syrlinks is finalizing the development of a new solution to download payload telemetry in X-Band at high data rate for smaller platforms, such as Nanosatellites and CubeSats. The first elements of a functional prototype which is able to modulate data up to 100 Mbps using fully CCSDS compatible filtered OQPSK modulation and Convolutional Coding [7,1/2], delivers up to 2 Watts RF with no more than up to 10W DC/DC consumption, and fits inside a 0.25 Unit of a standard cubesat were presented at recent Small Satellite exhibitions. In first half of 2014, an EQM has been developed and the final evaluation tests are on-going. This miniature X band HDR-TM transmitter is planned to be used on board OPS-SAT, an ESA triple Cubesat dedicated to test new space operation control concepts, currently planned for launch in 2016. It is also planed to be used on board EYE-SAT, a Student/CNES triplecubsat, also in 2016. In parallel, answering customer requirements, Syrlinks is also developing a new S-band transceiver which is fully compliant with CCSDS recommendations for RF, Modulation and Coding, and therefore with ITU EES frequency bands for TT&C: 2025-2100 MHz and 2200-2290 MHz. The transmitter can provide data rates up to 3Mbps (O-QPSK with differential coding) with an adjustable output power from 27 to 33 dBm. The receiver supports data rates from 1 to 256 kbps (PCM/PM/SP-L). This integrated product (96x92x24mm when no diplexer is used) is a miniaturized version of an existing Syrlinks platform. In the first half of 2014, an EQM has been developed and first evaluation tests are also on-going. This miniature S-band transceiver is also planned to be used on board OPS-SAT and it will satisfy the requirement that the cubesat will look like a fully CCSDS compliant spacecraft to the ESA ground control segment. The architecture of OPS-SAT, describing the S-band TTC and X-band HDR-TM will be presented. This paper provides information on these CCSDS compliant RF products. Using these products would not only guarantee a correct use of the allocated frequencies but also ease the possibility to re-use “standard” satellite ground stations for Nano/CubeSat missions