Satellite ground systems
Ground station operations, satellite pass planning, packet collection, communications testing, and space-to-ground operations concepts.
Satellite Communications
Satellite Communications, RF Systems, and Optical Links
COSMIAC develops and evaluates satellite communications systems, RF architectures, optical communications concepts, link budgets, propagation effects, and resilient space-to-ground connectivity for aerospace and defense missions.
This thrust builds on COSMIAC’s ground station heritage and expands into optical intersatellite links, free-space optical testing, secure signal movement, and communications architectures for modern proliferated space systems.
COSMIAC ground station supporting satellite communications research and operations.
Connecting spacecraft, ground systems, and mission users
Communications are central to space mission success. COSMIAC supports satellite communications research and engineering across RF systems, ground stations, optical links, propagation analysis, and hybrid RF-optical architectures.
The team supports link budget development, ground system planning, optical pointing and acquisition concepts, modem and waveform evaluation, antenna and propagation studies, and communications risk reduction for small satellite and space systems programs.
Focus areas
- Satellite ground systems and operations
- RF systems, antennas, and propagation effects
- Free-space optical communications
- Optical intersatellite links and pointing concepts
- Hybrid RF-optical communications architectures
- Secure space-to-ground signal movement
Capabilities
Integrated communications support for RF, optical, ground, space, and secure mission network applications.
RF systems and propagation
Evaluation of RF communications systems, antennas, link budgets, propagation effects, receiver performance, and high-frequency communications behavior.
Optical communications
Free-space optical communications, optical intersatellite link concepts, signal generation, beam steering, acquisition, pointing, and tracking.
Hybrid RF-optical architectures
Trade studies that combine RF and optical communications for resilience, bandwidth, detectability, data movement, and mission assurance.
Secure signal movement
Communications design connected to secure networking, encryption, cross-domain architectures, and resilient mission data transport.
Small satellite communications
Radio system design, commercial satellite link concepts, CubeSat communications planning, ground station compatibility, and data return strategy.
Ground station capability supporting satellite communications research and operations.
70/80 GHz transmitter-receiver slant path from Sandia Mountain to COSMIAC/UNM for high-frequency propagation studies.
Build resilient mission communications.
Work with COSMIAC on RF links, optical communications, ground systems, propagation analysis, or hybrid space network architectures.
