Digital Radio Implementation for NASA S-Band Space Network Transceiver

Abstract

The system diagrams for the digital radio compatible with NASA's S-Band Space Network operating from 2025.8 - 2117.9 MHz (forward link) to 2200 - 2300 MHz (return link) are presented. The digital radio implementation includes binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) and staggered quadrature phase shift keying (SQPSK). We have derived the system requirements for these modulation schemes from the Space Network User Guide (SNUG) and thereafter, derived system diagrams for the communication links. The designed system diagrams for the transceiver were implemented using Simulink models and USRP2 platform.