WAVES JOCOS a new system for global satellite communications

Abstract

The paper deals with a global satellite communication system for transportable briefcase-size terminals, named WAVES JOCOS (Wideband Advanced VSAT Enhanced System with Juggler Orbit COnStellation); the system is designed for operating at Ku and Ka bands and is able to offer on world-wide basis a large number of services, ranging from low data and voice to a target of 2 Mbit/s, with a fleet of light satellites. The system is based on the combination of JOCOS orbits, frequency scanning antennas and DS-CDMA technique. This combination allows to offer a modular user capacity, by covering the land masses starting from a very limited number of ICO satellites (7), to optimise the power flux density radiated from a low-power satellite and to diminish the handover requirements between spots and satellites. Moreover, WAVES JOCOS has been conceived to co-exist friendly with GEO satellite systems operating in the same frequency band, by a control of mutual interference. In particular, after a general description of the adopted orbits and of the main system features, by focusing the attention on the minimum satellite configuration, the system capability of an impressive but modular growth is introduced.