Feasibility of using a software-defined baseband for multiple space per aperture (MSPA) ground operations

Abstract

This paper presents the feasibility of performing multiple spacecraft per aperture (MSPA) ground operations by using a low-cost software-defined baseband (SDB). The SDB is a Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS)-compliant baseband that employs a personal computer for signal processing and a low-cost commercial-off-the-shelf RF front end for RF signal sampling. The SDB is customized to offer traditional telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) services for near-Earth missions operating in S band. The study starts by reviewing MSPA methods already studied by space agencies such as NASA and ESA before going to MSPA methods proposed in the latest CCSDS blue book on RF and modulation systems. The feasibility of operating the CCSDS-proposed multiple uplink carrier MSPA method using the SDB is assessed after evaluating in-band interference and out-of-band emissions from the uplink signals radiated by the low-cost RF front end employed by the SDB. Furthermore, we present a case study where the SDB is used in MSPA operations on a typical solid-state amplifier (SSPA) amplifier typically used in near-Earth missions.