International Maritime Satellite Organization Research Articles

О НЕОБХОДИМОСТИ УСКОРЕНИЯ ИННОВАЦИОННЫХ ПРОЦЕССОВ В ВЫСОКОТЕХНОЛОГИЧНЫХ ОТРАСЛЯХ

The article examines global economic problems that arise when solving specific problems in the context of the development of the space industry, requiring joint efforts of countries and financial support from international organizations. The role of various international organizations, such as the International Convention on Civil Aviation (ICAO), the International Maritime Satellite Organization, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in solving these problems is assessed. The importance of non-governmental organizations in the development of the space industry is noted. International cooperation and the combined efforts of the entire world community are key to progress in space exploration and the implementation of programs in this area.

The development of maritime satellite communications since 1976

This research note runs on from the note published by the author in this issue of IJMH. It describes the development of Maritime Satellite Communications (MSC) systems for all type of commercial and military seagoing and inland sailing vessels since the 1970s. The main functions of MSC systems are to enhance the safety and security of seagoing vessels, mainly by alerting and Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, and to improve communication facilities between ships and shore infrastructures. The first MSC Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) system for military applications was developed in 1976 by the US and other partners, which soon became available for merchant ships. The next step was the development of an independent and international MSC system. To overcome the disadvantages associated with HF/VHF radio propagation and frequency congestions, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1979 encouraged all member nations to establish Maritime Mobile Satellite Communication (MMSC) systems. At the behest of IMO and United Nations (UN) Maritime Body, and pursuant to the Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization, signed by 28 countries in 1976, the International Maritime Satellite (INMARSAT) Organization was founded.

Quad-Band Rat-Race Coupler With Suppression of Spurious Pass-Bands

In this letter, a quad-band rat-race (RR) coupler with spurious pass-band suppression is presented. A new design method of laterally offset dual ring (LODR) resonator backed with concentric dual split ring (CDSR) slots has been deployed. The transmission line model of the laterally offset dual-ring resonator has been characterized and presented. The prototype offers quad-band response at 1.45, 3.8, 4.3, and 6.3 GHz, corresponding to International Maritime Satellite Organisation (INMARSAT), Satellite C-band downlink, aeronautical radio navigation, and Satellite C-band uplink applications respectively. It offers 180° coupler characteristics at each of the four design frequencies and also provides 30.4% size reduction compared to a conventional RR coupler operating at the lowest band. This RR coupler suppresses spurious pass-bands beyond the fourth band. The proposed model has been fabricated and tested to validate the performance.

Design of a 2×2 tapered dielectric‐loaded helical antenna array for INMARSAT‐M satellite system

ABSTRACTIn this paper, design and fabrication of an L‐band axial mode 2 × 2 tapered dielectric‐ loaded helical antenna array for international maritime satellite organization (INMARSAT)‐M mobile vehicles are presented. This array has compact size and light weight. By adding a tapered cylindrical dielectric resonator, for satellite communications, important parameters such as gain, side lobe level, impedance matching and axial ratio bandwidth have been improved simultaneously. This array has a gain of 15.1 dB, a radiation pattern with a side lobe level of –21 and a –3 dB axial ratio bandwidth is nearly 15%. These characteristics are suitable for INMARSAT‐M antennas. A good agreement between the simulated and measured results has been achieved. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:2600–2604, 2013

The transmission link of CAPS navigation and communication system

The Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) is based on communication satellites with integrated capability, which is different from the Global Positioning System (GPS), the International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat) and so on. CAPS works at C-band, and its navigation information is not directly generated from the satellite, but from the master control station on the ground and transmitted to users via the satellite. The slightly inclined geostationary-satellite orbit (SIGSO) satellites are adopted in CAPS. All of these increase the difficulty in the design of the system and terminals. In this paper, the authors study the CAPS configuration parameters of the navigation master control station, information transmission capability, and the selection of the antenna aperture of the communication center station, as well as the impact of satellite parameters on the whole communication system from the perspective of the transmission link budget. The conclusion of availability of the CAPS navigation system is achieved. The results show that the CAPS inbound communication system forms a new low-data-rate satellite communication system, which can accommodate mass communication terminals with the transmission rate of no more than 1 kbps for every terminal. The communication center station should be configured with a large-aperture antenna (about 10–15 m); spread spectrum communication technology should be used with the spreading gain as high as about 40 dB; reduction of the satellite transponder gain attenuation is beneficial to improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the system, with the attenuation value of 0 or 2 dB as the best choice. The fact that the CAPS navigation system has been checked and accepted by the experts and the operation is stable till now clarifies the rationality of the analysis results. The fact that a variety of experiments and applications of the satellite communication system designed according to the findings in this paper have been successfully carried out confirms the correctness of the study results.

Report on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat): Providing Mobile Satcom Systems for Two-Way Links between Ship and Shore*

Report on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat): Providing Mobile Satcom Systems for Two-Way Links between Ship and Shore*

Wide band microstrip phased array for mobile satellite communications

A low profile, dual frequency, microstrip phased array has been designed and developed for INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite organization) land mobile satellite communications. The purpose of the array was to provide a wide band coverage, right-hand circular polarization with a high gain and minimum sidelobe levels in the principal planes. The developed array has a measured frequency bandwidth of 10% with a VSWR of 1.5, a minimum gain of 12 dBic, a gain to noise temperature ratio of -8.98 dB/K, sidelobe levels 13 dB below the beam peak in both the principal planes. The size of the array was 47 cm in diameter and 1.3 cm thick including a flush mounted light weight radome with the elements and the feed lines on the same layer. >

Digital signal transmission characteristics in maritime satellite communications

AbstractDigital signal transmission will be used widely in the future mobile satellite communication system to realize an efficient operation of the system and to provide diversified service. In the global mobile satellite communication system, such as maritime and aeronautical communications where a wide service area is required, the influence of the multipath fading due to sea surface reflection at low elevation angle on the digital signal transmission characteristics is a particular problem.This paper deals with the application of the digital transmission system to the INMARSAT (International Maritime Satellite Organization), which provides the international maritime satellite communication service. The configuration of the digital maritime satellite communication system, which was developed for experimental purpose, as well as the result of analysis of the digital signal transmission characteristics in the low‐elevation maritime communication experiment, are presented.Based on the result of field experiment, the required power margin for low elevation operation is evaluated, and a means to secure a high‐quality communication is discussed. Thus, a guideline is presented for the digital transmission system design in mobile satellite communication, affected by the sea surface multipath fading.

Mobile Satellite Communications and Developing Countries

This paper reviews the applications and benefits of mobile satellite communications for developing countries, particularly in remote and rural areas. It outlines what International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) is doing to provide mobile satcoms in developing countries and why. It notes the financial, structural and regulatory concerns which impact the spread of mobile satellite communications. It concludes with several suggestions on how developing countries can achieve benefits from using mobile satellite communications in spite of their limited investment resources.

Present and Future Developments of Maritime Communications and Navigational Systems and Their Roles in the Indian Ocean Region

The International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) provides a comprehensive range of mobile communications services world-wide to ships and to rigs by the use of satellites. Presently, eight satellites provide the mariner with a highly reliable service. Nineteen coast earth stations (CESs), in fourteen countries, povide a high degree of user choice. Thirteen manufacturers offer Standard-A ship earth stations (SESs) options to suit the needs and the pockets of individual users.INMARSAT is about to introduce several important new maritime services and facilities which will assist in the efficient management of ships and bring improved distress and safety communications and navigation for the benefit of all seafarers.

Aeronautical Satellites

A recent conference on Satellite Systems for Mobile Communications and Navigation held at the Institution of Electrical Engineers dealt with all manner of requirements for land, sea and air users. The papers mentioned here refer specifically to aeronautical users and the technology that will permit their large‐scale introduction in the 1990's. Capacity on satellites made available by Inmarsat (the International Maritime Satellite organization) means that voice and data services now undergoing proving trials together with the developments foreseen, will provide global communication in the near future.

International Maritime Satellite Organization: Amendments to the Convention and Operating Agreement of INMARSAT

International Maritime Satellite Organization: Amendments to the Convention and Operating Agreement of INMARSAT

Satellites for Aeronautical Services

AIRCRAFT Communications, Navigation and Surveillance making use of satellite systems will be coming into widespread use during the next few years. The International Maritime Satellite organisation (Inmarsat) will be using and expanding its expertise to fulfil the needs of the aeronautical community in a similar way that it has catered for the maritime users of equipment since 1982. Many groups such as the special ICAO committee on future air navigation systems (FANS) have helped to frame recommendations covering every aspect of the provision of services for aircraft. Working closely with these bodies, Inmarsat has pioneered the development of avionics and antenna systems for operational use.

Remote Monitoring and Control of Water Management Systems, via Satellite

Twenty-five years of experience has proven the high reliability of satellite communications. The creation of the International Maritime Satellite Organisation in 1979 opened the way for development of small satellite terminals for use by individual users. The recent order for a new generation of satellites to serve the needs of this 45-nation co-operative and development of the Standard-C system will enable it to provide a message/data service to small and low cost terminals by 1988. Standard-C will create new opportunities to remotely monitor and control processes regardless of distances from a central operations centre. It will permit those on duty to receive routine reports automatically at fixed intervals and/or when measurements fall outside pre-set limits. In the event of an abnormal situation developing it would be possible for the controller to interrogate the sensors at the site by ‘polling’ at any desired interval. This would enable a process to be continuously monitored and devices or systems remotely controlled as required. Because the satellites provide global coverage vast areas can be monitored and controlled independent of local telephone or microwave links. This may be particularly important in areas where individual sensor sites and their links may be vulnerable to disruption due to the possibility of flooding, landslides, earthquakes, etc. In addition, such a system could be used to control day to day operations of sluice gates, etc. in remote areas and thereby lead to improved water management techniques.

Aeronautical satellite data link concept, design, and flight test results

The MITRE Corporation has conducted a three-year study of aeronautical satellite communications that culminated in a set of flight tests over the North Atlantic during August of 1985. The flight tests required the cooperation of four organizations in addition to MITRE: The Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), Rockwell International, Ball Aerospace and Avantek. A test aircraft, equipped with a specially designed satellite data link terminal and antenna configuration, was flown from Cedar Rapids, Iowa across the North Atlantic to Iceland, and north of Iceland to 75° latitude. The purpose of the flight tests was to measure the performance of a full duplex aeronautical satellite data link (ASDL) using the International Maritime Satellite Organization's (INMARSAT's) spacecraft and earth station at Southbury, Connecticut, and to demonstrate potential applications. The data link operates at 200 bits-per-second (bps), uses forward error correction (FEC) coding, and employs a terminal monitor that provides interfaces to on-board avionics, data recording equipment, and an industry-standard personal computer (PC). The PC serves as a user terminal as well as a real-time monitor of bit-error-rate (BER) performance. In addition to channel propagation and BER experiments, demonstrations of potential applications of an oceanic ASDL system were conducted. A standard commercial airline data link management unit (MU) was used to communicate data over the ASDL using standard protocols. The interface to the MU allowed access to data from two distinct navigation systems: an inertial navigation system (INS) and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. Aircraft position data was transmitted from the aircraft to the earth station on an automatic basis to simulate automatic dependent surveillance (ADS) of oceanic air space. This paper is divided into three sections: 1) A discussion of background issues, such as the motivation for the reported research and development, and important operational ASDL system design topics; 2) a detailed description of the developed ASDL design; and 3) a description of the test program and a preliminary summary of the results.

Inmarsat Spreading Its Wings

INMARSAT, the International Maritime Satellite Organisation, has made great progress since its foundation in 1965 and has now 44 members. Its three components, the satellites leased, the stations on land and those on ships, have grown with INMARSAT in size, number and efficiency, thus providing ever increasing communication services to the international maritime community. Research and future development are described which will make a significant contribution to the future global maritime distress and safety system. Finally, INMARSAT is now preparing to provide services to the aeronautical community, like those at present operative for maritime communications.

Amendment to the Convention on the international Maritime Satellite Organization

Amendment to the Convention on the international Maritime Satellite Organization

INMARSAT: a satellite safety net for seafarers

The International Maritime Satellite Organization's (INMARSAT) success in operating the world's maritime satellite communications system has led to moves for it to expand its activities into other related areas. A vital role for INMARSAT in the Future Global Maritime Distress and Safety System has already been acknowledged and moves are currently being made to alter the organization's Convention to enable it to provide a range of aeronautical services.

Mobile communications via satellite in the 1990s

The world’s only satellite organization providing mobile communications on a commercial basis is the International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat). This paper reviews the origins of the organization and the needs of the shipping and offshore industry that led to its formation. The current system and its operations are described. The success achieved so far by Inmarsat in providing the satellite capacity for telephone, telex, facsimile and data communications to the maritime community makes it apparent that the system could also be used to provide capacity to the aeronautical community. Also, studies are now being made on future configurations of the system in which it may be possible to integrate a polar-orbiting satellite system, such as Sarsat-Cospas. Inmarsat is proceeding with the procurement of a new series of satellites that would come into operation from 1988. This paper reviews the enhanced capabilities that these new satellites will provide in the context of the requirements for mobile communications via satellite in the next decade.

Inmarsat expands its horizons

AbstractThe International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) is the world's only commercial satellite system providing mobile communications. This article describes the system and the services which are provided through it to the worldwide shipping and offshore industries. It provides some background on the establishment of the system and why maritime nations looked to satellites as the way to effect a dramatic improvement in maritime communications. The article discusses some of the research and development now being carried out which is expected to lead to the provision of new services, including aeronautical communications via satellite. Also mentioned is the role to be played by INMARSAT in the Future Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, now being developed by the International Maritime Organization for introduction in 1990. New services, such as these, and greatly expanded capacity are to be provided by INMARSAT in its second generation system, consisting of a new series of satellites for launch from 1988.