Low Cost Approaches to Personal Communications Satellites

Over the next few years several communications satellite constellations will become operational, each promising some form of wireless voice or data communication available globally. These systems offer high throughput two-way communications, but at a cost of one to fifteen billion dollars in capital investment. This makes entry into the personal communication satellite market difficult, if not impossible, for the small spacecraft industry. However, AeroAstro has determined that constellations of microspacecraft can still provide services in this market, at a fraction of the investment. The key is to identify niche markets that are not being served by the larger constellations and target those markets for low cost service. This paper will detail one such system, providing one way, and limited two way, messaging from distributed remote sensors back to their owners. A description of the system design will be provided, emphasizing those aspects specific to the microspacecraft mission. Furthermore, AeroAstro has developed several unique approaches that allow these missions to be performed at a reasonable cost. This paper will discuss the use of scanning high gain antennas in combination with linear repeaters to provide global coverage and strong RF linka. Additionally, the use of CDMA technologies in this system is discussed.