Celestia Antwerp, a leading European player in ground segment satellite communications, has launched its latest technology innovation, the Virtual Integrated Baseband (V-IBB), an advanced solution for satellite tracking, telemetry and command.
The V-IBB has been developed as part of the ESA Copernicus programme and in line with Celestia Antwerp’s mission to provide satellite ground station operators, satellite manufacturers and integrators with a rapid, reliable and effective means of communication between the satellite control centre and - via the station RF section - the satellite.
Simple to deploy and adaptable in use, the V-IBB is a virtual baseband modem which receives satellite telemetry and transmits satellite telecommands. It can also test satellite TT&C in the RF chain, before the satellite goes into orbit.
The innovative part is the inbuilt digitiser, which means operators no longer need to have an S-band up and downconverter; the modem automatically transfers the analogue signal directly to the digital domain and the data is sampled. The data can then be saved in the ground station or in the cloud, hence being called the Virtual IBB.
The V-IBB also offers operators many other important benefits. Two S-band antennas can be connected to one V-IBB modem, requiring lower investment in a multiple antenna environment, and several samplers can be connected to one SDR server. It also operates at high speed – up to 20Mbps – and has an extremely short acquisition time, even in challenging receiving conditions like low signal / noise or Doppler.
As well as requiring less up-front investment in antenna infrastructure, the V-IBB is additionally extremely easy to use, resulting in reduced CAPEX and OPEX. Its modular software architecture and intuitive graphical user interface provide easy (re)configuration and there is a real-time built-in spectrum analyser. Fewer hardware elements and modulation / demodulation being software based provide high levels of operational reliability.
The V-IBB is already proving its potential with one of Celestia Antwerp’s key customers in telecommunications, who have ordered 65 units for the expansion of their network. A further order for 120 units is expected from the same customer in the coming months.
“More than 60 years’ of Celestia Antwerp know-how in advanced ground modems for the space industry have gone into the design and development of this new, leading-edge solution for satellite tracking, telemetry and command,” says Guy Van Dijck, Managing Director of Celestia Antwerp.
“The V-IBB uses the new digital technology to bring a fast, flexible and reliable solution to the market that also offers operators significant savings in set-up and running costs. It truly is a versatile and powerful tool for solving satellite communication and testing challenges that comes with field proven heritage from our track record and capabilities,” he says.
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