Low cost MEMS based INS for land-based military SATCOM OTM

To minimize satellite communications interference, Ground-based SATCOM terminals operating over Military X-band and Ka-band geosynchronous satellites must adhere to MIL-STD requirements for downlink pointing loss and off-axis effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP). Similarly, vehicle mounted earth stations (VMES) must adhere to strict FCC requirements on antenna pointing and Power Spectral Density (PSD) to avoid adjacent satellite interference when using commercial Ku-band geosynchronous satellites. Ground-based SATCOM on-the-move (OTM) terminals use varied tracking approaches to meet military and commercial requirements. In particular, systems that use an open-loop tracking solution typically require an Inertial Navigation System (INS). New generations of INS that use Micro Electrical-mechanical System (MEMS) inertial sensors can meet system performance requirements with cost reductions of 60% to 90%.