GMSK Demodulator Implementation for ESA Deep-Space Missions

Abstract

This paper discusses a new implementation of a Gaussian minimum-shift keying (GMSK) modulator and demodulator on the European Space Agency (ESA)'s common deep-space receiver-the Intermediate Frequency Modem System (IFMS), which is a software radio based platform. The GMSK demodulator is needed for ESA's deep-space and near-Earth missions, starting with the Herschel-Planck satellites in 2008. The implementation requirements and hardware restrictions from the IFMS lead to the need for a significant simplification versus the optimum demodulation approach. In part, this can be achieved by using a demodulator based on the Laurent decomposition, yet further simplifications and changes to obtain a feasible implementation were necessary. The presented GMSK demodulator was directly implemented on the existing IFMS receiver without requiring any hardware changes. Measurements with the demodulator showed only a marginal technical degradation in the order of 0.1-0.3 dB for the chosen approach. Furthermore, for testing purposes, a GMSK modulator was implemented on the same platform.