Protocol Proximity-1 Simulator for Telemetry on Mars Missions

Francisco Fraga Barros Barbosa da Maia

Key information

Authors:

Francisco Fraga Barros Barbosa da Maia (Francisco Fraga Barros Barbosa da Maia)

Supervisors:

José Eduardo Charters Ribeiro da Cunha Sanguino (José Eduardo Charters Ribeiro da Cunha Sanguino); António José Castelo Branco Rodrigues (António José Castelo Branco Rodrigues)

Published in

January 29, 2021

Abstract

The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems recommended a new standard protocol for space communications between spacecrafts in close proximity. This protocol is called Proximity-1 Space Protocol. Proximity-1 describes recommendation standards for the two lowest layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model – Data Link Layer and Physical Layer. Both layer recommendation will be taken into consideration in this simulator. The purpose of this work is to simulate data transfer between two space vehicles (orbiter, lander or rover) according to the Proximity-1 Space Link Protocol and draw conclusions regarding its performance – percentage of error frames received, modulation and demodulation processes, data flow between sublayers, as well as its processing times, among others. Moreover, one could simulate any vehicle (orbiter, lander or rover) that needs to comply with the Proximity-1 standards. The simulation allows analyzing in detail the proximity-1 protocol operations and interoperability between sublayers, contributing for a better understanding of each process. With this simulator, it is possible to adjust the protocol different parameters - transmission power of each space vehicle, signal to noise ratio of the transmission channel, number of samples per bit, filters applied in the demodulation process, among others. Moreover, the simulation enables the flow of data, analyzing each step of the process, since the formation of a data packet, converting it into a modulated signal and vice-versa. Both Data Link Layer and the Physical Layer are the backbone of protocol Proximity-1 Simulator.