According to the Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space, maintained by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), there were 11,330 individual satellites orbiting the Earth at the end of June 2023 – an amazing 37.94% increase since January 2022.
Needless to say, the usage of satellites by organizations, companies, governments and even individuals continues to grow.
Satellite communications are conducted over a wide range of frequency bands. The typical bands considered for small satellites are UHF, S, X, and Ka. The most mature bands used for CubeSat communication are VHF and UHF frequencies.
There has been a shift in recent years toward S and X, with Ka-band also being used for recent & future small satellite communications. The move to higher frequency bands has been driven by a need for higher data rates. At the higher frequencies, there is generally greater atmospheric and rain attenuation adding to increased free space loss.
This needs to be compensated for with higher power transmission and/or high gain antennas with narrower beamwidths. Moving to higher-gain antennas increases the pointing accuracy required for closing the link.
The communication satellites are similar to the space mirrors that help us bounce signals such as radio, internet data, and television from one side of the earth to another. Three stages are involved, which explain the working of satellite communications. These are:
Uplink
Transponders
Downlink
There are many types of telecommunication satellites, with designs varying according to their purpose. They use different orbits, different frequencies and they transmit very different types of signals using a variety of power levels
The advantages of satellite communications are immense, and include:
Service from one single provider is easy to obtain and uniform service is available
Satellite cost is independent of the distance
High capacity in comparison to terrestrial networks
During critical condition, each Earth Station may be removed relatively quickly from a location and reinstalled somewhere else
The laying and maintenance is easy and cheap in satellite communication
Through satellite transmission, coverage over geographical area is quite large mainly for sparsely populated areas
Wireless and mobile communication applications can be easily established by satellite communication independent of location.
Like most other areas of contemporary living, the satellite communication sector folds new and innovative technological advances into its operations.
Technologies such as 5G networks, artificial intelligence and nanosatellites are revolutionizing the way satellite communication systems operate. These advancements offer improved speed, capacity, reliability and coverage, while also enabling new applications and services.
Analysts in this field expect to see even more innovation and advancement in the years to come as businesses and individuals increasingly rely on satellite communications services.
With the emergence of new constellations such as OneWeb, the development of maritime software solutions, the growth of IoT, and the evolution of 5G, experts contend we are entering a new era of global connectivity.
But to take advantage of satellite communication advances, organizations need to keep up through ongoing education such as with the satellite communication courses offered by Tonex.
Satellite Communications Training Courses by Tonex
Tonex offers nearly a dozen courses covering specialized areas of satellite communications — everything from fundamentals to cybersecurity and VISAT training.
Some of our classes:
Advanced SATCOM Training (3 days) — This course covers all aspects of satellite technology, system survey, systems engineering as applied to satellite communications, hardware, software, applications, digital communications and processing in modern satellite networks, IP convergence, optimization and management.
Cybersecurity and SATCOM Training (4 days) — This course provides an understanding of unique vulnerabilities in SATCOM systems that are commonly exploited. Discover techniques and strategies for integrating cybersecurity measures into SATCOM systems, networks, products and critical missions from the start.
Satellite Communications Design and Engineering Training (4 days) — This course covers basic to advanced engineering level topics which are suitable for electrical, communications and wireless network technicians, engineers, analysts and managers including electrical engineers and technicians, communications engineers and technicians, systems engineers, and wireless network engineers and technicians and anyone else who is looking for a satellite communications design and engineering refresher course.
Satellite Communications Training | Crash Course (4 days) — This intense crash course focuses on satellite communications payloads, systems engineering and architecture of satellite systems including application requirements such as digital video and broadband media, mobile services, IP networking and UDP/TCP/IP services, concept of operations, identifying end-to-end.satellite payload requirements and constellation.
Satellite Phone Training (2 days) — This course provides training in planning, designing, installation, operation, maintenance and management of satellite phone systems.
Satellite Communications Training for non-engineers (4 days) — This course is designed to provide a general technical overview of Satellite Communications and GMR-1 family of technologies for non-technical professionals including sales, marketing, product managers, finance, project and program managers, and executive management.
VSAT Training – Very Small Aperture Terminal Training (3 days) — This course covers very small aperture terminal (VSAT) systems. VSAT is growing throughout the world as a way of establishing private satellite communications networks for large organizations that have several widely dispersed locations, or providing higher bandwidth for the individual.
Why Choose Tonex?
Tonex has been providing important, cutting edge courses in technology and advanced business training for nearly three decades. Our instructors are internationally known for their topic expertise as well as real world experience.
Tonex is also flexible. We strive to work with your organization, company or agency to present the courses that you and your employees need. That means we can tailor course to your requirements. Just give us a call and let us help.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.