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Air Traffic Surveillance Technology Advances With SES Satellite Launch

By | May 29, 2013
Proba-V atop the Vespa (Vega Secondary Payload Adapter) 
Image credit: European Space Agency
[Satellite TODAY 05-29-13] Monitoring global air traffic is not an easy task, but in the wake of SES’s recent launch of the first space-based automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) system, this could soon change.
 
     The ADS-B system has been operating since the successful orbiting of the Proba-V satellite, which was launched from an Arianespace Vega rocket on May 6, 2013. The new technology, product of a partnership between SES Techcom and DLR German Aerospace Center, has the potential to revolutionize air traffic control.
 
     "There is actually no direct surveillance of aircraft over most areas of the world … resulting in larger separation distances, lower aircraft throughput and higher fuel consumption/CO2. [But] in the future, space based ADS-B might provide an efficient solution for remote areas," said Gerhard Bethscheider, SES Techcom’s chief executive officer during an exclusive interview with SatelliteTODAY.com.
 
     According to Bethscheider, aircraft equipped with the ADS-B system automatically measures position based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems(GNSS) and periodically broadcasts telemetry packets which include aircraft identification, position, altitude and velocity vector during all phases of the flight. This information is then transmitted to a network of dedicated ADS-B ground stations, which receive and forward the data to air traffic control centers for precise tracking of the aircraft, he said.
 
     The end result is that on-orbit ADS-B instruments have the potential to detect and track aircraft worldwide, including in areas presently not covered by ground-based radar such as oceans or polar regions. ADS-B transmissions will also allow aircraft to remain continuously visible not only to ground controllers but also to other suitably equipped planes.
 
     Bethscheider said that overall the project has been a positive learning experience and partnership. "The ADS-B joint venture combines the outstanding satellite engineering know-how of DLR with the operational and commercial experience of an experienced satellite operator, which is a good mixture to foster innovation," he said.
 
     The resulting technology is capable of detecting ADS-B signals emitted by aircraft from space and provides a ground solution for data processing and system performance management.
 
     But the project was not without its own challenges. "The biggest challenge for the team was the short development schedule," Bethscheider said. Based on a feasibility study completed in November, 2012, the team had only 18 months to develop a system of space reception for ADS-B signals from aircraft transmitters designed for terrestrial ADS-B, without changing the hardware on board the aircraft or the ADS-B signal type.
 
      Bethscheider noted that because aircraft installations are developed for terrestrial ADS-B, the signal characteristics in space are not yet well understood and many questions, ranging from interference to signal collisions, may soon have answers because of the recent launch.
 
     "Thanks to the payload developed and provided by DLR we will now be able to demonstrate the feasibility of space based ADS-B signal reception, and derive the system parameters for a commercial space based ADS-B receiver constellation," he said.
 
     Bethscheider also said that the joint venture has tremendous economic opportunities.
 
     “A space based ADS-B overlay system has the potential to increase the airspace capacity by decreasing the separation distance between aircraft and will therefore improve the fleet management for airlines. It would help to find more efficient aircraft climb trajectories and result in substantial fuel savings by cutting CO2. At the same time, space based ADS-B will support better aircraft guidance by further improving the safety and rescue capabilities. All these advantages may justify the development of a space based global ADS-B service concept, based on a constellation of multiple ADS-B satellites, the development and operation of which could create a significant revenue potential for SES TechCom," he said.
 
    For SES, that translates into business growth. "SES TechCom is planning to grow business in 2013 by 20 percent. We are involved in the main European navigation projects, Galileo and EGNOS, and develop ground infrastructure for the European Data Relay Satellite program EDRS. SES TechCom builds and operates VSAT and SCADA networks and develops turn-key teleport solutions for our governmental and B2B customers," Bethscheider said.
 
     In the meantime, he said, the companies are "looking forward to receiving first ADS-B messages from space, which we expect in a few weeks, after the commissioning of Proba-V. We will jointly analyze the outcome of the in orbit demonstration phase and will present and discuss the results with the air traffic management agencies and industry."
 
   The ADS-B system is being phased in on a worldwide basis; all aircraft entering European airspace will be equipped with it by 2015.
 

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