The Use of Open Architecture Systems in Cost Reduced Satellite Telemetry & Control Stations

Abstract

A comprehensive examination of the market demands for cost reduced satellite telemetry & control stations will be presented. These systems are implemented using flexible, open architecture-based high performance real-time systems. The trend for combining telemetry monitoring of satellite data with closed-loop satellite command and control functions will be presented. This combined functionality opens up the possibilities for completely integrated, reduced cost satellite control systems. The market forces driving the demand for this integrated functionality include the broadening of non-military satellite applications, the widening international deployment of commercial satellites and the accompanying drive toward decentralized satellite control. The major requirements for the telemetry processing and command & control functionality of the integrated, reduced cost satellite control system will be presented. These requirements include: full real-time performance for processing telemetry data; flexible architecture for the incorporation of a wide range of I/O devices; capability of performing real-time, closed-loop control based on conditions in the telemetry data; user friendly development environments for application-specific customization of the system; and low system costs with the capability of indigenous support. The divergent requirements of performance, flexibility and price of these integrated, reduced cost satellite control systems is made possible via the use of open architecture building blocks that include standard VME boards combined with specialized real-time software drivers and user oriented, flexible Graphical User Interface (GUI) software.