Satellite inclination effects on UHF Satcom operation

The cause, magnitude, and time variance of satellite inclination are examined in light of the effects on military UHF SATCOM operation. The effects on required demodulator acquisition range, earth coverage footprint, and user terminal antenna pointing accuracy are considered. It is shown that the allowable satellite inclination to maximize on-orbit lifetime is not based on earth-terminal antenna pointing accuracy, but on allowable loss of high-latitude satellite coverage area. Worst-case Doppler shift for a UHF military satellite is 85-Hz uplink and 67-Hz downlink for a 5 degrees SATCOM user elevation angle and 10 degrees of satellite inclination. This amount of inclination is a reasonable allowance for station-keeping, to minimize thruster fuel and thus maximize satellite life. It is also shown that uplink Doppler frequency shift due to satellite inclination may be corrected based on satellite ephemeris data and rough user terminal location data.<>