Project 2

Ground Receiving Station for the Philippine Microsatellite Program

Hosting Institution

Advanced Science and Technology Institute

ASTI Bldg., Technology Park, C.P. Garcia Ave., U.P. Diliman, Quezon City

+63 2 426-9764/+63 2 925-8598

Project Leader

Engr. Alvin Retamar

Objectives

• Establish a facility for the Ground Receiving Station to receive imagery from microsatellites
• Develop the capacity to control, receive and process microsatellite imagery by training personnel to manage, operate and maintain the ground receiving station
• Facilitate archiving and distribution of satellite imagery to end-users

Significance

A ground receiving station is a significant sub-system of the Philippine Microsatellite Program. It allows space borne images taken by an orbiting microsatellite to be transmitted to earth for use in various scientific and civilian applications. Likewise, it is used to control and transmit commands from the ground to the microsatellite so that it can carry out its mission effectively. To support the ground receiving station, an archiving and distribution facility will be leveraged to deliver imagery to end users.

This component project is significant because:

• it will foster capability building to control, receive, and process microsatellite imagery;
• it will facilitate distribution and storage of satellite imagery;
• it can provide immediate returns even before the launch of the Philippine microsatellite by receiving images from other microsatellites, i.e. those that are covered by an agreement and are compatible with the ground system, thereby building up an archive of images that can already be used by local scientists and researchers. In addition, receiving imagery from other microsatellites also serves as a testbed to gauge the effectiveness of the system.
• it can serve as a back up station, in case other ground receiving facility/ies is/are down, that can receive imagery and data in behalf of a partner nation that operates a similar microsatellite. Once received, the data can be forwarded via the Internet. This fosters cooperation between nations operating microsatellites wherein the ground receiving station in each nation can back up each other in case of down times.

To complement the ground receiving station and in view of the research interests of ASTI, the institute will also engage in capability building and training related to telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), satellite bus design and development, mission planning, and system integration and tests (ex. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) tests which can be done at the EPDC). These complementary activities are also indicated in the program proposal.