The future of communication is in space. The commercialisation of space has changed the nature of space missions. Companies like Space X, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab have developed reusable rockets and spacecraft that make space ventures more accessible and affordable.

As the number of satellites in space increases, so too do the challenges of protecting these assets and maintaining communication links and services between the satellites and ground stations.

Monitoring and detecting signals using Real-time Signal and Spectrum Analysers

Monitoring and detecting the interference signals early on plays an important role in satellite communication. Because of the higher frequencies and high bandwidth signals, it is imminent to use the test system which can detect and identify the interfering signal in realtime. The test system must support wide bandwidth real-time spectrum analysis (RTSA). Because of their characteristics to identify transient signals specially the ones with very short duration and higher bandwidth , RTSA can play a pivotal role in:

• Tracking, displaying and monitoring interference signals
• showing the jamming effect in time, frequency and amplitude domains simultaneously
• Autonomous monitoring of uplink and downlink signals

Monitoring and detecting transient signals in real-time is crucial for interference hunting in satellite communication

By using dedicated triggering methods such as frequency mask triggering and amplitude mask triggering, we can detect signals that are transient in nature. An example is provided below.

Persistent display of transient signals - Courtesy Rohde & Schwarz

Thanks to the real-time capabilities and high-bandwidth features, the RTSA solution minimises the gap between signal measurement and detection. It can consistently measure and detect signals as short as 1 μs 100% of the time.

Handheld Interference Measurement of Satellite Signals

One effective method to locate ground-based interference sources is to use handheld spectrum analysers. These devices help pinpoint the sources of interference, which may be due to jamming or an RF source transmitting on the wrong frequency. The handheld devices can be used with portable directional antennas.

Handheld interference Hunting device - Courtesy Keysight Technologies

Conclusion

The space industry is expanding and becoming more demanding. Errors in space communication systems can be extremely costly and disruptive. A deep understanding of space technologies, combined with the right tools, can play a vital role in protecting both civil and military assets in space.