Development of access-based metrics for site location of ground segment in LEO missions
doi: 10.5028/jatm.2010.02038210

Hossein Bonyan Khamseh
Shahid Beheshti University
Tehran - Iran
h.bonyan@gmail.com

M. Navabi*
Shahid Beheshti University
Tehran - Iran
navabi.edu@gmail.com

*author for correspondence

Abstract:

The classical metrics of ground segment site location do not take account of the pattern of ground segment access to the satellite. In this paper, based on the pattern of access between the ground segment and the satellite, two metrics for site location of ground segments in Low Earth Orbits (LEO) missions were developed. The two developed access-based metrics are total accessibility duration and longest accessibility gap in a given period of time. It is shown that repeatability cycle is the minimum necessary time interval to study the steady behavior of the two proposed metrics. System and subsystem characteristics of the satellite represented by each of the metrics are discussed. Incorporation of the two proposed metrics, along with the classical ones, in the ground segment site location process results in financial saving in satellite development phase and reduces the minimum required level of in-orbit autonomy of the satellite. To show the effectiveness of the proposed metrics, simulation results are included for illustration.

Keywords:

Site location of ground segment, LEO satellite, Total accessibility duration, Longest accessibility gap, In-orbit autonomy.

J. Aerosp.Technol. Manag., São José dos Campos, Vol.2, No.3, pp. 279-286, Sep-Dec., 2010
Received: 27/07/10
Accepted: 03/09/10