Intelsat demonstrates mitigation of satellite signal interference

Mitigating intentional interference for satellites is addressed in a new white paper released by Intelsat General.

The white paper details interference mitigation on the Intelsat Epic^NG platform. Intelsat General is a wholly owned subsidiary of Intelsat and operator of the worldwide Globalized Network.

The whitepaper validates the ability of the Intelsat Epic^NG platform to mitigate attempts by adversaries to intentionally interfere with signals operating on Intelsat’s multi-spot, high-frequency reuse, high-throughput satellites. This is particularly important for U.S. and allied military forces in hostile theaters throughout the globe.

“U.S. DoD (Department of Defense) satellite communication systems are critical for collecting and disseminating video and data that give the military real-time information about a hostile environment,” said Skot Butler, president of Intelsat General. “Our Interference Resolution demonstration showcases the capability of the Intelsat Epic^NG system, and its advanced digital payload, to work around efforts to interfere or jam the signals being transmitted via our satellites.”

https://youtu.be/B0rhVk4MYY0

Demonstration. The Interference Resolution demonstration used a remote terminal transmitting video to a hub Earth station over the Intelsat 29e satellite. During the validation process, technicians transmitted an interference signal on the same channel used to transmit the video.

Once the interference was detected, technicians were able to reconfigure the satellite and the remote terminal, thereby re-establishing video transmissions. The reconfigurations

• terminated the interferer at the satellite thereby clearing the downlink,
• provided a new, interference-free uplink channel, and
• connected the new video uplink channel to the original, now clear, downlink channel.

Intelsat 29e, launched in January 2016, was the first of Intelsat’s fleet of high-throughput satellites. Five Intelsat Epic^NG satellites are now in orbit with one more planned for launch in 2018.