Wireless connections within spacecrafts to replace wired interface buses

Abstract

This paper describes measurement and characterization of radio propagation and transmission - particularly of ultra wideband (UWB) signals - within spacecrafts with a view to partly replacing on-board data buses with wireless connections. Adaption of wireless technologies within spacecraft could contribute to reduction of cable weight and resulting launching costs, and more reliable connections at rotary, moving, and sliding joints. This paper presents measurements and characteristics of radio propagation and transmission and addresses the effects of apertures perforated on the outer surface of satellites on the UWB propagation and transmission for low- and high-band UWB within a shield box. Channel responses, spatial distributions of UWB and narrowband propagation gains, delay spreads, and throughputs were derived from measurements. On the effects of apertures, the larger total area of apertures resulted in lower UWB propagation gains, shorter delay spreads, and (slightly) higher link throughput. The propagation study was followed up with experimental evaluation of UWB link throughput within a simulated spacecraft. Commercially off-the-shelf UWB devices were used in the experiments of ultra wideband technology to facilitate a high data rate (e.g. maximum of 400 Mb/s per node attained with SpaceWire, equaling the standards of a wired onboard data bus) and to reduce the fading margin.