Portable universal ground processing unit for remote satellite control

Software programmable electronics for remote satellite tracking stations has been developed which can be controlled from a separate satellite operations center (SOC). This telemetry tracking and commanding (TT&C) and communications equipment provides a six times reduction in size over legacy equipment. The portable universal ground processing unit (PUGPU) system supports the full set of telemetry, commanding, and ranging (TCR) ground processing functions. It has been developed as a small business innovative research (SBIR) project with RT Logic of Colorado under AF Research Laboratory\´s Information Grid Division in Rome, NY, The PUGPU is a compact design, housed in a half rack height enclosure enabling it to replace multiple 19" racks of equivalent functionality. The configuration supports uplink and downlink RF frequency conversion subsystem (FCS), direct S-/L-band in-phase quadrature (SLIQ) modulation and demodulation, digital baseband TCR processing (Telemetrix 70/70 XL), and downlink spectrum monitoring and analysis (DSA). The system supports commercial applications developed by the consultative committee for space data systems (CCSDS) and is AF satellite control network (AFSCN) compatible, being approved for use by the US air force within the automated remote tracking stations (ARTS). A much fuller implementation of the CCSDS protocols is also addressed, including the space link extensions (SLE) utilized within the Telemetrix 500GT for remotely interfacing the ground facility to the SOC via wide area networks. The PUGPU has been demonstrated acquiring NASA and DoD telemetry downlinks using both fixed parabolic and electronically scanned antennas (ESA). This paper describes the components, capability and applications of this system