Inside Frequency Control

Since the beginning of NASA, radio communication has been the go-to method of communication for spacecrafts. Well, that's about to change. NASA has recently announced they will be making a major change to some of their upcoming communication systems by implementing new, cutting-edge, laser communication technology. 

Electronic warfare (EW) is a continuous competition between electronic countermeasures (ECM) and electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM). Electronic warfare systems deploy millions of sensors worldwide on a wide range of platforms such as IR, Acoustic, Radio, and Optic systems, all in the coordinated effort to harness and control the RF (radio frequency) spectrum, the highly contested electronic battlespace.

To say that HRL Laboratories has made significant contributions to cutting-edge science and technology would be quite an understatement. Known today by its legal corporate title HRL Laboratories LLC, the storied company traces its roots back to the legendary Howard Hughes. Hughes set the standard for HRL's innovative mission, advising his contemporaries to "Do the impossible. Because almost everyone has told me my ideas are merely fantasy."

We've been doing a lot of talk about the new space movement and the newest LEO constellation innovations. It's about time that we bring to your attention that LEO constellatioins aren't the only innovation when it comes to the new space (or space 2.0) movement. As technology and payloads of satellites continue to skyrocket (ha!), so does our ability to efficiently explore the deep, dark depths of outer space.

In Part 1 of our series on COTS components for space applications, we discussed why the government is increasingly turning to “commercial off the shelf” parts for spacecraft, satellites and more. COTS parts have already been successfully adopted in many military applications, but when it comes to space, COTS adoption has been much slower.

Space exploration has never been cheap. In the days of the Apollo program, the cost of sending payloads into space was such that only government agencies with billions of dollars to spend could afford it. Over time, those costs have begun to come down, but even with advances in launch technology, funding for such activities ebbs and flows. In the wake of budget cuts for military and aerospace Research and Development, there has been much pressure to develop systems and designs that meet the needs of space projects and reduce costs without sacrificing quality. This is where COTS (Commercial Off-The Shelf) products offer a potential solution.

Small satellites have grown dramatically over the past decade... and they are still growing fast and furiously. In this post, you'll learn about how to achieve mission success for satellites and how GPS Disciplined Oscillators (GPSDOs) can do the trick. 

Satellite communication touches our lives in ways most people don’t fully appreciate. From GPS to satellite TV to the communication networks that make modern economic, military and political affairs possible, there are few areas of life that the rise of SATCOM technology has not shaped in some way, directly or indirectly. While visions of massive arrays and constellations might be the first thing that comes to mind when some people think of satellites, today we’re going to focus on something a little less visually impressive but just as important; the Very Small Aperture Terminal, or “VSAT.”

While the expansion of the private sector into space is still in its infancy, there is little doubt that it will prove to be one of the most significant economic developments of this century, and RF engineers are one group of industry specialists that are making it happen. Indeed, it's almost impossible to overstate the impact that engineers specializing in radio frequency tech have had and will continue to have, not only with operating and maintaining commercial space activity but shaping it as well. Let’s explore all the different ways that RF engineers are making the “Space 2.0” era possible.