On November 26, 2023, the UAV satellite communication system (second batch) developed and produced by the company successfully passed the factory acceptance organized by Rainbow UAV Company.
System composition
The block diagram of the UAV satellite communication system can be seen in the figure below:
The UAV satellite communication system consists of a ground satellite communication station (SGDT) and an airborne satellite communication terminal (SADT). The UAV satellite communication system developed by the company this time includes 4 sets of ground satellite communication stations (SGDT) and 8 sets of airborne satellite communication terminals (SADT), which can realize two-way communication between 1 ground satellite communication station and 4 airborne satellite communication terminals at the same time. The
airborne satellite communication terminal consists of an airborne 0.65-meter moving antenna, an airborne satellite communication terminal, an airborne power amplifier BUC, an airborne power supply unit, etc. The data transmission rate from airborne to ground is not less than 4Mbps nationwide, and can reach 8Mbps in some areas.
The ground satellite communication station includes an electronic cabin, a 2.4m static communication antenna, satellite communication equipment, network management equipment, cabinets, seats, etc. 
The ground satellite communication station is also equipped with a multi-card Beidou user terminal as a backup satellite communication means. The Beidou vehicle-mounted multi-card user terminal supports 64 Beidou user cards for multi-card data communication, which can realize the data transmission function in seconds, solve the time and frequency limitations of Beidou user cards, increase user communication bandwidth, and also has the RDSS two-way positioning and communication functions of ordinary user terminals.
System Advantages
1. Able to connect an external encryption and decryption machine to realize data encryption
The airborne satellite communication terminal and the ground satellite communication station are equipped with confidentiality interfaces, which can be connected to external encryption and decryption machines to realize satellite communication data encryption and decryption, thereby ensuring the security of data communications.
2. Ability to interconnect with drone line-of-sight links
The line-of-sight link on the UAV was developed by a certain institute of China Electronics to achieve two-way data communication between the UAV and the ground control station within the line-of-sight range. When the aircraft is beyond the line-of-sight range, the satellite communication system is used to complete the two-way communication between the UAV and the ground station.
The line-of-sight link and the satellite communication link are in a dual backup relationship. The airborne satellite communication terminal has a communication interface with the airborne line-of-sight transceiver combination, which can realize the interconnection and intercommunication of the flight control computer, the airborne line-of-sight transceiver combination, and the airborne satellite communication terminal. The data of the ground station satellite communication station is directly connected to the station control software to complete the data fusion of the line-of-sight link and the satellite communication link.
The satellite communication ground station can control the working mode of the airborne satellite communication terminal and the working mode of the airborne line-of-sight link; the ground line-of-sight transceiver combination can control the working mode of the airborne satellite communication terminal, realizing the functions of "line-of-sight control satellite communication" and "satellite communication control line-of-sight".
3. The onboard terminal can access payloads with different interfaces
The airborne satellite communication terminal can be connected to various payloads such as the airborne pod, forward-looking, telemetry and remote control, high-speed data, airborne inertial navigation, etc. The data interface supports SDI video interface, asynchronous 422, synchronous 422 and Ethernet interface, etc.
4. One station with multiple machines, networking communication
The UAV satellite communication system supports one ground station (main station) to communicate with multiple airborne terminals (small stations) at the same time, and remotely monitor the airborne terminals (small stations). The network topology of the system is shown in the figure:
The channel resources of the UAV satellite communication system are divided into data service channels and network management channels. The airborne small station adopts a structure in which data service transmission and network management information transmission share a channel. The network management satellite communication terminal and the data service transmission satellite communication terminal in the ground master station adopt independent channel structures and use independent frequency band carriers to realize network management functions. The network management
satellite communication terminal is used to collect and save system equipment and network operation parameter data, dynamically update system parameter data, remotely control, configure, and query airborne equipment parameters, control network service connection, monitor system resources and schedule link allocation, etc. The data service satellite communication terminal completes the data communication transmission between the airborne small station and the ground master station.
Summarize
This batch of airborne satellite communication systems has strict requirements on product quantity, system performance and delivery cycle. With the support of Party A and the unremitting efforts of all employees of the company, we have overcome all difficulties and successfully completed product acceptance by the end of 2023, and will soon deliver it to the end user.
Satellite communication is a challenging industry. We understand that only by continuous learning and improvement can we maintain competitiveness. We will pay more attention to technology research and development and product updates to meet the changing needs of customers. Our goal is to become a leading enterprise in the field of satellite communications and provide users with the best solutions.