Radio frequency interference and risk of damage for satellite servicing missions

This thesis assesses the potential for radiation transmitted from a servicing satellite in geostationary orbit to couple into the receivers on its intended client, thereby causing interference or even damage to receiver components. It begins by examining the satellite servicing paradigm, and introducing as case studies two missions that are currently in development. Then the theory of coupling is presented, starting with an overview of antennas, working toward the Friis transmission formula, and adapting it to be valid in the near-field. The analysis tools used are described, including TICRA GRASP, antenna modeling software used to apply the theory to this specific case. In GRASP, models of two servicing satellites representing Northrop Grumman's Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) and DARPA's Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) programs are created, as well as a model of a generic communications satellite to serve as their client.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Schiller, Jonathan D.(Jonathan David)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kerri Cahoy.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122416

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/122416