A satellite-communications gateway includes a pedestal, a hub movably coupled to the pedestal and supported by the pedestal, an antenna configured for satellite communications, first electronics positioned inside the hub, and second electronics communicatively coupled to the first electronics and positioned inside the pedestal. The antenna is mounted to the hub and supported by the pedestal via the hub. The first electronics is arranged to convert a radio-frequency signal from the antenna to an intermediate-frequency signal and transmit the intermediate-frequency signal to the second electronics. The second electronics is arranged to convert the intermediate-frequency signal to a digital signal.

Described herein are space based subsystems of a satellite, and related methods, for use in producing an optical feeder downlink beam in dependence on RF service uplink beams received from service terminals within a specified RF frequency range. Beneficially certain embodiments eliminate the need for any type of frequency conversion equipment in the spaced based subsystem that is used to produce the optical feeder downlink beam. Also described herein are ground based subsystems, and related methods, for use in transmitting an optical feeder uplink beam to a satellite configured to receive the optical feeder uplink beam and in dependence thereon produce and transmit a plurality of RF service downlink beams within a specified RF frequency range to service terminals. Also described herein is are space based subsystems of a satellite, and related methods, for use in transmitting a plurality of RF service downlink beams to service terminals.

A power supply unit may include a power supply interface, a first interface, a second interface, an input/output (I/O) interface, and a graphics processing unit (GPU). The power supply receives a power supply from a transport vehicle. The first interface is communicatively coupled to a short-range network associated with the transport vehicle. The second interface is coupled to one or more of K, Ka, or KU-band antennas to communicate with one or more of a satellite or a base station. The I/O interface is coupled to one or more sensors. The GPU is coupled to the power supply interface, the first interface, the second interface, and the I/O interface. The GPU may receive data from the one or more sensors, determine an alert based on the received data, and send the alert to one or more computing devices via one or more of the first interface or the second interface.

Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.

A satellite system may have a constellation of communications satellites in orbits such as highly inclined eccentric geosynchronous orbits and low earth orbits. Satellite terminals may be used to communicate with the satellite constellation. The satellite terminals may have control circuitry that dynamically adjusts phased antenna array circuitry to steer antenna beams towards one or more satellites. Multiple antenna beams may be steered in different directions simultaneously. A satellite terminal may be used in simultaneously transmitting and receiving data from different respective satellites and may be used in transmitting and receiving satellite signals in multiple satellite bands. The satellite terminal may have an outdoor unit that is coupled to an indoor unit over a digital communications path. The outdoor unit may include the phased antenna array circuitry and transceiver and modem circuitry, whereas the indoor unit may cache media and serve as a firewall, router, and wireless access point.

A very small aperture terminal (VSAT) installation tool is provided having the ability to measure cable loss along an interfacility link (IFL) between an outdoor unit and an indoor unit of the VSAT. Radio frequency (RF) signals can be transmitted from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, where the RF signals are intercepted along the IFL prior to reaching the outdoor unit, and the output power is determined. The determined output power is compared to an expected output power at the indoor unit. The delta between the determined output power and the expected output power can be used to adjust the power of the indoor unit such that the outdoor unit can operate without reaching its compression point. The determined output power can be extrapolated based upon measured of the output power performed over a range of frequencies at which the indoor unit operates.

Some implementations of the disclosure relate to dynamic switching of a satellite inroute data path between a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) method and a Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) method. In one implementation, a satellite terminal comprises one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media configured with instructions executable by the one or more processors to cause the satellite terminal to perform operations comprising: communicating, using the satellite terminal, over an inroute TDM channel; determining, based on an ingress traffic rate to the satellite terminal or a determination that the satellite terminal has not received any traffic flows classified for communication using TDM, to switch communications from the inroute TDM channel to an inroute TDMA channel; and after determining to switch communications, switching, at the satellite terminal, from communicating over the inroute TDM channel to communicating over the inroute TDMA channel.

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations. The enhanced LDACS may also include a Cloud-based network controller configured to allocate LDACS resources to the LDACS ground stations and the LDACS airborne stations based upon a number of LDACS airborne stations, respective flight paths of each LDACS airborne station, a respective type of each LDACS airborne station, and historical data on communication use for each LDACS airborne station.

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) resistant telecommunications (telecom) system includes core components mounted within and shielded by a Faraday cage. The components include a data source or storage device. An ethernet switch selectively connects the data source or storage device to a primary satellite router and a post-EMP satellite router. Telecom signals are output from and input to the core components via low noise blocks (LNBs) and block upconverters (BUCs). A method of resisting EMP interference for a telecommunications system includes the steps of enclosing and shielding core components in a Faraday cage and providing output via LNBs and BUCs to an antenna subsystem. The antenna subsystem can include one or more antenna elements with configurations chosen from the group comprising: parabolic dish; array; unidirectional; and omnidirectional. The EMP-resistant telecom can optionally be combined with a signal regenerating subsystem and used with a signal regenerating method.

A method performed by a ground station antenna system for tracking a non-Geo satellite. A signal is received from the satellite and a signal quality metric associated with the signal is estimated. A first tracking mode is selected and implemented when the estimated signal quality metric is below a threshold, in which the signal is demodulated to obtain demodulated signal quality metric (DSQM) estimates, and then a first tracking operation is performed to point an antenna beam at the satellite based on the DSQM estimates. A second tracking mode is selected and implemented when the estimated signal quality metric is above the threshold, in which signal strength estimates of the signal are obtained and then a second tracking operation is performed to point the antenna beam at the satellite based at least in part on the signal strength estimates.