A Space Debris-Dedicated Channel for the P-Band Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope: A Detailed Description and Characterization

Muntoni, Giacomo; Schirru, Luca; Montisci, Giorgio; Pisanu, T.; Valente, G.; Ortu, Pierluigi; Concu, R.; Melis, A.; Urru, Enrico; Saba, Andrea; Gaudiomonte, Francesco; Bianchi, G.

doi:10.1109/map.2019.2943274

Cited by 15 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The antenna is used as a receiver in the Italian BIRALET radar system for space debris observations in P-band [1,13,20]. The front-end employed for space debris radar campaigns is the dual-feed L-P receiver (see Figure 2), a cryogenically cooled (typically less than 20 K) coaxial receiver with two channels, one for the P-band (with a receiver frequency response at 305-410 MHz) and the other one for the L-band (at 1300-1800 MHz).…”

Section: The Srt As a Receiver In A Bi-static Radar Configurationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The front-end employed for space debris radar campaigns is the dual-feed L-P receiver (see Figure 2), a cryogenically cooled (typically less than 20 K) coaxial receiver with two channels, one for the P-band (with a receiver frequency response at 305-410 MHz) and the other one for the L-band (at 1300-1800 MHz). This receiver is installed in the primary focus of the telescope [21] and it is composed by five main sections: the coaxial feed, the cryogenic front-end, the linear to circular polarizer, the noise calibrator and antenna unit injection, and the filter selector [13]. The coaxial feed intercepts the Radio Frequency (RF) echo radar and sends it to the cryogenic front end, directly connected with the noise calibration and antenna unit injection, which carry out the calibration of the whole system.…”

Section: The Srt As a Receiver In A Bi-static Radar Configurationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The group of dedicated radar sensors involved in the European SST network includes two Italian radars based on two different radio telescopes as a receiver (RX): the BI-static RAdar for LEo Survey (BIRALES) system [11,12] and the BI-static RAdar for LEo Tracking (BIRALET) system [1,13,14]. Each of these systems, which are included in the European monitoring program for Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST), uses the same transmitter (TX), named Radio Frequency Transmitter (TRF), located in Sardinia in the region "Salto di Quirra" (Lat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The TRF is a 7 m dish parabolic antenna in primary focus configuration, with a maximum speed in Azimuth and Elevation of 3 degrees per second. The transmitter system is composed by a set of powerful amplifiers, installed in a cooled shelter, able to supply a maximum root mean square (RMS) power of 10 kW (continuous peak power of 14 kW) in the bandwidth 410-415 MHz, where the TRF has an antenna gain of about 27 dBi and an Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) of more than 60 dB [12,13]. The BIRALES system uses a portion of the Northern Cross radio telescope, located in Medicina near Bologna (with a baseline from the TRF of about 580 km), as a receiver and it is used for monitoring the space environment in survey mode.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This innovative configuration allows the sensor to perform initial orbit determination [11]. The BIRALET system, on the other hand, makes use of the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) as a receiver, with a baseline from the TRF of about 20 km, and it provides Doppler shift measurements and the received SNR in tracking mode, using the mono-beam P-band receiver [13]. Compared to the early years when the SRT was used for space debris measurement campaign, the system has been recently upgraded with a dedicated channel for space debris monitoring that comprises a dedicated backend with its acquisition chain [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Orbit Determination of Resident Space Objects Using the P-Band Mono-Beam Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

Losacco

Schirru

2019

Applied Sciences

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The population of space debris in near-Earth space is continuously growing and it represents a serious problem for active satellites and spacecraft. A performant ground-based and space-based network of sensors is necessary for space surveillance and consequently to prevent new collisions and monitoring atmospheric reentry of these objects. This paper illustrates the possible role of the Italian ground-based novel bi-static radar sensor, named BIRALET, for space monitoring and resident space objects tracking. The main characteristics of the receiver system, the Sardinia Radio Telescope with its P-band mono-beam receiver, are described in detail. Then, a preliminary analysis of the performance of the sensor is presented, and the results of numerical simulations are shown, providing a general overview on both observation capabilities and orbit determination accuracy achievable with the Sardinia Radio Telescope.

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Section: The Srt As a Receiver In A Bi-static Radar Configurationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Srt As a Receiver In A Bi-static Radar Configurationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Orbit Determination of Resident Space Objects Using the P-Band Mono-Beam Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

Losacco

Schirru

2019

Applied Sciences

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The Coaxial L-P Cryogenic Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

et al. 2022

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The design and characterization of the coaxial dual-band L-P radio astronomical receiver for the prime focus of the Sardinia radio telescope are presented. The main feature of this receiver is to allow simultaneous radio astronomical observations in the P (305 -410 MHz) and L (1.3 -1.8 GHz) frequency bands. This functionality, which has been requested by the Pulsar research group at the National Institute for Astrophysics to estimate, among the others, the ionospheric dispersion in Pulsar observation, is currently missing in any other radio astronomical facility throughout the world. Also, single band operation is ensured by the proposed design both in linear and circular polarization, making this L-P receiver an ideal instrument for a wide range of radio astronomical and space applications. Some components of the receiver chain have been housed inside a cryostat and refrigerated at 20 K to reduce the noise temperature, resulting in a good performance compared to the receivers of other large radio telescopes. Several challenging issues have been faced in the design, mainly due to the large dimension and weight of the overall structure to be mounted in the prime focus position. Moreover, the design of the cryostat was constrained by the limited space available in the direction of the optical axis inside the focal cabin of the radio telescope, requiring a compact and light realization of the components of the receiver chain. This called for a home-made design of several devices, requiring a strong collaborative effort by researchers, engineers, and astronomers.

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The Sardinia Space Communication Asset: Performance of the Sardinia Deep Space Antenna X-Band Downlink Capability

et al. 2022

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The Sardinia deep space antenna (SDSA), managed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has started its operations in 2017 aiming to provide tracking and communication services for deep space, near earth, and lunar missions, and to support new and challenging radio science experiments. The SDSA shares with the Sardinia Radio Telescope (SRT) a part of the system and infrastructure, but has its own specific equipment and a dedicated control center. The current SDSA capabilities involve the X-band (8.4 GHz -8.5 GHz) reception of telemetry from deep space probes within interplanetary missions. In this work we describe the development and performance of the X-band receiving system. It was designed and assembled with the cooperation of both the NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Specifically, NASA-JPL provided the X-band feed and the cryogenic receiver installed in a suitable focus of the SRT devoted to space applications, and ESA provided the intermediate frequency modem system (IFMS) for signal processing. The coupling of the X-band feed with the parabolic reflector of the SRT and the radiating features of the SDSA have been evaluated with simulations performed using CST Studio Suite and GRASP by Ticra. The telecommunication performance of the system has been assessed by measurements and experiments showing a good agreement between estimates and simulations.

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A Space Debris-Dedicated Channel for the P-Band Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope: A Detailed Description and Characterization

Cited by 15 publications

References 14 publications

Orbit Determination of Resident Space Objects Using the P-Band Mono-Beam Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

Orbit Determination of Resident Space Objects Using the P-Band Mono-Beam Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

The Coaxial L-P Cryogenic Receiver of the Sardinia Radio Telescope

The Sardinia Space Communication Asset: Performance of the Sardinia Deep Space Antenna X-Band Downlink Capability

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