Course syllabus for Satellite communications

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-10 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameSatellitkommunikation
  • CodeRRY100
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPWPS
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyElectrical Engineering, Engineering Physics
  • DepartmentSPACE, EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 29133
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0108 Oral examination 7.5 c
Grading: TH		7.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Basic physics.

Aim

This course aims at providing the students with a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles when designing global satellite systems for communication purposes.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

* describe the fundamental principles of satellite communications
* discuss useful satellite orbits for various communication tasks
* discuss various antenna types useful in satellite communications
* describe radio wave signal propagation and disturbances
* describe signal to noise ratios in satellite communications
* calculate complete link budgets
* design complete satellite communications systems

Content

The course gives a general introduction to satellite communication systems. The satellite communication link is presented as an alternative and complement to other communication systems, e.g. terrestrial links using radio techniques or transmission via optical fibers. Various multiple access techniques used in satellite communications such as frequency and time division multiple access (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA) will be studied. The focus of this course is on the design of a satellite communication system in terms of the power and noise budget of the link. The areas to be studied in order to reach this goal are:
* microwave transmitters and receivers
* ground station and satellite antennas
* radio wave propagation in the atmosphere, including attenuation and depolarization effects
* noise contribution from the receivers and the atmosphere
* requirements of signal to noise ratios for different modulation and coding techniques
* satellite orbits
* international regulations which introduce constraints on the satellite link design
Existing satellite communication systems are presented and possibilities for future systems are discussed.

Organisation

This course includes lectures and problem based learning. A very important part of the course is based on active working groups studying relevant problems for the design of satellite communication links. Several homework exercise are to be handed in and discussed. There is a compulsory excursions to the Onsala Space Observatory where several laborative exercises are carried out. Corresponding lab reports have to be written and handed in.

Literature

The lecture material will be made available on the Canvas page of the course. For students that want to go deeper, the following books can be recommended:

G. Maral, M. Bousquet, Z. Sun: Satellite Communication Systems: Systems, Techniques and Technology, 6th edition, Wiley & Sons, ISBN: 978-1-119-38208-9, 2020.

T. Pratt, C. W. Bostian, J. Allnutt: Satellite Communications, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 047137007X, 2003.

E. Lutz, M. Werner, A. Jahn: Satellite Systems for Personal and Broadband Communications, Springer, ISBN 3-540-66840-3, 2000.

Examination including compulsory elements

Passed home work and lab reports, individual written examination report, and oral examination in working group.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to course rounds:
    • 2024-10-07: Block Block changed from D+ to D by Calle Ekdahl schema
      [Course round 1]