Case Study: Satellite Simulation

Satellite communications have long been subject to noticeable signal delays. The lag in satellite TV broadcasts and phone calls are examples that many of us have experienced first hand. Traveling at the speed of light, it takes over 200 ms to reach geosynchronous orbit (GEO) and back. Even using satellites at low earth orbit (LEO) of 200 to 400 km, transmission times between two terrestrial locations can be significant.

Next generation satellite communications technologies are now being developed using much higher bandwidth then ever before. Defense applications, in particular, will use gigabit, and even ten gigabit, data rates. In some cases, “free space optics” is being researched as a way to transmit high bandwidth signals between satellites in space. As a result of higher data rates, emulating and testing satellite communications using fiber optic cables in a traditional lab environment is increasingly common. Anue Emulators, with their precise, controllable and enormous delay capabilities fit this satellite simulation requirement perfectly.



In Fall 2004, Anue Systems received an order from a large DoD contractor for three ten Gigabit Signal Delay Emulators. Anue's ten gigabit product platform, called the "H" Series, delays and impairs SONET/SDH OC192/STM64, Ten Gigabit Ethernet (LAN Phy and WAN Phy), and 10 Gigabit Fibre Channel traffic. SONET G.709 and GigE FEC data rates are also included.

This customer began testing in early 2005 a simulation of an “Internet in the Sky” defense shield. Initially, with a setup of three routers (either Cisco 15454 or Juniper M320) as geo-stationary “satellites” and the Anue Emulator as the OC192 “links” between the three satellites, the effects of latency on high bandwidth communications between orbiting satellites is being tested.

Since the three satellites will be moving in relation to one another, the ability to dynamically vary delay times is essential. This requirement led to the development of Anue's “Doppler Shift” functionality, which is available on all Anue “H” Series Systems as an option. Using Doppler Shift, a user can automatically increase and/or decrease the delay time injected by the Anue Simulator in increments as small as one part per million (ppm).

After the initial test setup is verified, this contractor plans to add LEO satellites to its test bed and, after that, simulated ground based communication stations. The total number of links will grow to the thousands, and data rates, protocols and requirements between the different nodes will vary. The result of these multi-year tests will be a thoroughly validated communications system that can then be incorporated into actual satellite and ground station equipment.

About Anue Systems, Inc.
As a leading provider of innovative network delay emulators, Anue Systems is the company that "delays your data." Anue's Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel and SONET/SDH Network Impairment and Delay Emulators meet the needs of organizations that are designing, building, testing, deploying and using high-speed fiber optic data networks. Headquartered in Austin Texas, Anue Systems has built a team of world-class engineers with expertise in optical data networking and testing.



Since 1997, Gillaspy Associates has built a solid reputation for developing strong relationships with our customers by providing quality solutions and ongoing support.

Downloads

Anue Emulator vs. Fiber Spools


Related Pages

Data Recovery

Network Emulator

WAN Emulator

Latency Emulator

Delay Emulation Products

GEM/XGME

SD Signal Delay

PD Path Delay

FC SAN Delay & Impairment

Combo Units


Delay Solutions

Networked Applications

Server/Data Center Migration

Video & Voice

Wireless/Mobile

Network QoS

Circuit Emulation

PON

Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity

Satellite Communications

Proof of Concept & Interoperability

Next Gen Sonet/SDH

iWARP

Network Planning & Readiness

SAN Extension

CPRI

TCP/WAN Acceleration

Anue Systems


Network Emulation Blog

Blog Home
Satellite Testing
Server Migration
VoIP
Circuit Emulation