A satellite monitoring system

To effectively manage a satellite communications network, it is necessary to monitor the performance of the carriers within that network. The carrier power, center frequency, and bandwidth of each carrier must be monitored to fully utilize the space segment resources. The performance of digital and analog carriers must be monitored to ensure that each carrier performs to the customer´s expectations. The space segment provider must also manage the satellite resources to ensure that interference is minimized and that each customer receives the proper allotment of power and bandwidth. COMSAT World Systems (CWS) has built an automated satellite monitoring system with monitoring sites in the United States, Europe, and Japan. This system monitors the downlinks of carriers originating in the U.S. or destined for U.S. users of the INTELSAT system abroad. The areas of coverage include the Atlantic and Pacific ocean regions. The monitoring system examines the RF properties of the various carriers (power, frequency, and bandwidth) in addition to the quantitative carrier parameters (effective isotropically radiated power, carrier-plus-noise power to noise-power ratio, carrier power to noise power ratio, energy-per-bit to noise-power density ratio, and so on). This paper presents a general description of the system, followed by descriptions of the network and control system architectures and a discussion of system operations. The Satellite Monitoring System (SMS) has been used on numerous occasions to assist CWS operations and Customer Technical Support in their activities. Some recent examples include the service transition from INTELSAT V F12 to INTELSAT VII F2 at 359°E, the examination of potential interference resulting from a new ship-to-shore service on 310°E, and the lineup and testing of satellite newsgathering (SNG) terminals during Desert Storm. The SMS is also used for routine day-to-day operations such as verifying activation/deactivation of carriers, service transitions, leased services monitoring, and general customer support