Algorithms for the implementation of Adaptive Coding Modulation on Earth observation satellites

The paper discusses some algorithms for the implementation of Adaptive Coded Modulation on Earth observation satellites. In the proposed system, the ground station (G/S) receiver estimates the downlink signal to noise ratio, and at time t_0 predicts the downlink signal to noise ratio that will affect the frame received at time t_0+L, being L the overall system latency. Two different prediction techniques are analyzed, one suitable for short latencies and the other for long latencies. The G/S, from the predicted signal to noise ratio, chooses the ModCod scheme that the satellite will have to use at time t_0+L and , if it is different from the previous one, sends a telecommand to the satellite to require a mode change. The paper shows the simulation results obtained by considering a realistic propagation model at 26 GHz, in terms of outage probability and throughput.