The development of space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) will allow surveillance of aircraft in areas not covered by radar or ground-based ADS-B systems. In September 2016, the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment-7 (CanX-7) satellite was launched into a 690 km sun synchronous orbit with an ADS-B receiver payload. The first phase of ADS-B data collection took place over the North Atlantic between 4 and 31 October. A preliminary assessment of the data indicates that the average ADS-B signal strength is close to the calculated receiver detection threshold of D94.5 ± 0.5 dBm. The pattern of received ADS-B reception appears to be consistent with a signal propagation model developed for the CanX-7 mission. Future work includes the comparison of coincidental flight plan data for the operations area and an analysis of the payload antenna pattern.
References
[1]
RTCA DO-260B (2009) Minimum Operational Performance Standards for 1090 MHz Extended Squitter Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Traffic Information Services-Broadcast (TIS-B). Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics.
[2]
Francis, R., Vincent, R., Noël, J.M., Tremblay, P., Desjardins, D., Cushley, A. and Wallace, M. (2011) The Flying Laboratory for the Observation of ADS-B Signals. International Journal of Navigation and Observation, 2011, Article ID: 973656.
[3]
Francis, R., Noël, J. and Vincent, R. (2011) Orbital Monitoring of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Signals for Improved Air Traffic Surveillance in Remote and Oceanic Airspace. Proceedings of the 62nd International Astronautical Congress, IAC-11.
[4]
Cushley, A. and Noël, J.M. (2014) Ionospheric Tomography Using ADS-B Signals. Radio Science, 49, 549-563. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013rs005354
[5]
Van Der Pryt, R. and Vincent, R. (2015) A Simulation of Signal Collisions over the North Atlantic for a Spaceborne ADS-B Using Aloha Protocol. Positioning, 6, 23-31. https://doi.org/10.4236/pos.2015.63003
[6]
Van Der Pryt, R. and Vincent, R. (2015) A Simulation of the Reception of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Signals in Low Earth Orbit. International Journal of Navigation and Observation, 2015, Article ID: 567604.
[7]
Vincent, R. (2015) The CanX-7 ADS-B Mission: Tracking Aircraft from Space. Canadian Space Society: Canadian Space Summit, Vancouver, 19-20 November 2015.
[8]
Van Der Pryt, R. and Vincent, R. (2016) A Simulation of Reflected ADS-B Signals over the North Atlantic for a Space-Borne Receiver. Positioning, 7, 51-62.
https://doi.org/10.4236/pos.2016.71005
[9]
Bennett, I., Paris, A., Cotton, B. and Zee, R. (2016) Nanosatellite Aircraft Tracking: Simulation and Design of the CanX-7 ADS-B. The Canadian SmallSat Conference, Toronto, 2-3 February 2016.
