Spacecraft communication channel power control system

Abstract

A control system for the uplink transmitter of a ground station communicating with a spacecraft includes an antenna located at the ground station, pointed toward the spacecraft for receiving downlink signals transmitted therefrom. The received signals are accompanied by noise attributable to ambient, sky and ground temperatures. A low-noise receiver is coupled to the output port of the antenna, for establishing the receiver noise temperature. A processor is coupled to the low-noise receiver apparatus and to the power control input port of the uplink transmitter, for responding to changes in the received noise power attributable to the presence or absence of precipitation in the downlink. The processor does this by producing an estimate of the attenuation attributable to the rain in the downlink, and generates the control signal in response to the estimate of the attenuation. The control signal increases the signal power of the uplink transmitter in response to increases in the estimate of the rain attenuation, and decreases the signal power of the uplink transmitter in response to decreases in the estimate of the rain attenuation. The processor determines the downlink rain attenuation L.sub.a,D by