X-Band Deep Space Digital Transponder and Regenerative Ranging

概要

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The improvement of X-band deep space communication capability has strongly been demanded to enhance planetary exploration activities at Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). This paper presents our newly developed X-band transponder meeting requirements imposed by future ISAS deep space missions. Some particular technologies adopted in it are also explained in detail to show how the transponder was optimized under the restricted condition in ISAS. Among them are digital signal processing in demodulator, frequency scheme enhancing the use of commercially-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products, and employment of simplified regenerative ranging. Above all the new properties of our transponder were successfully verified using its engineering model (EM) developed for functional testing. Particularly, the new regenerative ranging scheme implemented in our transponder was proved to be competitive with regenerative ranging of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) while achieving its drastic cost saving in the development process. The transponder is now ready for the development of prototype model (PM).
宇宙航空研究開発機構の論文