NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) 19940018299: The FAA satellite communications program

6 Pages·0.44 MB·English

by  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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N94- 22772
The FAA Satellite Communications Program
Karen L. Burcham
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Avenue NW, Washington DC 20591
Telephone (202} 267-7676
Fax [phone]
ABSTRACT AMS(R)S standards, ensuring adequate
system performance, supporting imple-
The Federal Aviation Administration mentation, and providing research and
is developing satellite communications development for U.S. domestic satellite
capabilities to enhance air traffic ser- communications. The general connectiv-
vices, first in oceanic and remote ity of the system is illustrated in
regions, and later for United States Figure 1.
domestic services. The program
includes four projects which develop PROJECT AREA DESCRIPTIONS
technical standards, assure adequate
system performance, support implemen- There are four defined projects in
tation, and provide for research and the FAA Satellite Communications Pro-
development for selected areas of U.S. gram. The first three develop satcom
domestic satellite communications. capabilities and provide for operations
in oceanic and remote regions where
The continuing focus is the applica- the FAA has current responsibility: the
tion of automated data communications, first developing data, the second
which is already permitting enhanced developing voice, and the third sup-
and regular position reporting. Voice porting operations; and the fourth area
developments, necessary for non- will develop selected U.S. domestic
routine communications, are also applications.
included among the necessary activities
to improve ATC communications. Project 1: Oceanic/Remote Data
OBJECTIVES The development of satellite data
communications for aircraft entails the
The FAA Satellite Communications generation of agreed-upon standards
Program Plan objective is to provide that permit aircraft flightworthiness
for and facilitate operational use of and operational certification, and bring
Aeronautical Mobile Satellite (Route} assured interoperability between air-
Service (AMS(R)S) communications, craft and controllers by means of
where (R) stands for "Route" denoting various service providers.
the safety service, to meet civil avi-
ation needs in oceanic and offshore Mops
areas, and possibly in U.S. domestic
airspace as well. The FAA Plan concen- Minimum Operational Performance
trates on implementing the concept Standards (MOPS) are developed jointly
developed by the International Civil by the supplier/user industry and the
Aviation Organization's "Future Air FAA in an AMSS Special Committee
Navigation Systems" (FANS} committee (SC-165) provided for by RTCA, Inc.
during recent years, at first for (formerly the Radio Technical Commis-
oceanic regions. sion on Aeronautics). This independent
body reacts to needs to define
In the interest of improved air architectures, standards for signals
traffic management, the Program assists and interfaces, and recommended tests
in developing national/international that will bring uniformity and
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Figure 1. FAA Oceanic Air Traffic Control Operational Concept
interoperability for avionics used in The MOPS also is a basis for man-
aeronautical safety services. ufacturers' acquisition of an FAA Tech-
nical Standards Order (TSO}, which
While the MOPS focuses on describ- constitutes an FAA technical approval
ing only the Aeronautical Earth Station for equipment installation. It can assist
(AES) and its air-ground protocols, the as a basis for the installing facility's
committee also has developed a System acquisition of Type Certification, which
Guidance document which permits authorizes actual air traffic service
understanding of end-to-end, pilot-to- applications.
controller service performance.
The AMSS MOPS recently has been
While not mandatory, the MOPS completed and is available through the
serves several purposes. It provides a RTCA. The next stage--modifications
published guide for manufacturers, from knowledge gained during man-
operators, and users to implement the ufacturing, installation, and operation-
AMSS system in a coordinated way. -is under way. The next MOPS edition
Based on signal-in-space rather than is expected to be available early in
on equipment design, the MOPS gives 1994. FAA Program Plan support to this
considerable freedom to design and effort is focused within the Satellite
innovation, while the standardization of Communications Program on oceanic and
signal characteristics provides for com- remote regions.
petitiveness and coordinated opera-
tions. Needs of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) to assure efficient
and effective use of the radio spectrum
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and non-interference were also sup- Following a circulation and agree-
ported by SC-165 in developing neces- ment period to permit member-nation
sary changes to the Code of Federal acceptance and aircraft implement-
Regulations, Part 87. ations, the SARPswill facilitate world-
wide AMSSoperations. They should
enable the realization of concepts held
SARPs
for many years, wherein air traffic
Standards and RecommendedPrac- operations would reap the full benefits
tices (SARPs}, developed by member of the integrity and timeliness of satel-
states' Civil Aviation Authorities within lite services.
the International Civil Aviation Organi-
zation (ICAO), ultimately becometreaty- Oceanic performance Analysis
level agreements among the member
states that assure universal inter- Simulations are being developed and
operability for international flight validated using projected AMSS traffic
safety services. They define generally to ascertain effects on system perform-
the AMS(R)Ssignal-in-space character- ance and responsiveness. The outcome
istics and protocols necessary for AES should permit estimates of operational
operation with its Ground Earth Station capability, and should uncover areas
(GES). where specific approaches could be
implemented to enhance AMSS safety
Since 1989,the FAA has been a services. When complete in October
principal participant and architect in 1993, the simulation model will be coor-
the development and validation of the dinated with developments in the
AMSSSARPs.Similarly to the MOPS, Oceanic Development Facility {discussed
these standards closely follow the sys- below}.
tem architecture defined in the Inmar-
sat System Definition Manual (SDM), but Develop SARPs-Compliant Capability
focus on describing signal character-
istics rather than the specifics of This project activity will acquire an
design. AES and install and test it in an
FAA-owned Boeing 727 aircraft at the
Under the International Telecommuni- FAA Technical Center (FAATC) near
cations Union (ITU) Radio Regulations, Atlantic City, NJ.
the AMS(R)Sdesignation denotes
services which are afforded additional The AES interface with aircraft
protection against interference. Simi- avionics, and through the satellite
larly to the need to adapt FCCRules to through the GES to end users, will
properly include aeronautical mobile employ the ISO 8208 standard as
satellite communications, the SARPs defined in both MOPS and SARPs.
Working Group is supporting the "Data-3, P! an Inmarsat definition,
efforts to establish non-interference describes such an AES that can oper-
and other performance standards for ate within the full Open Systems Inter-
mobile satellite communications within connect (OSI) protocols. Use of this
the ITU's International Radio Consulta- standardized protocol enables
tive Committee(CCIR). end-to-end interconnectivity advan-
tages of the Aeronautical Telecommuni-
The AMSSSARPsare in the final cations Network (ATN), now under
stages of completion. They are expected design.
to be validated through tests and
modelling presently under way, and are The principal objective of this proj-
scheduled to be presented to the ICAO ect element is to validate the SARPs
Air Navigation Council for approval in requirements by demonstrating and
mid-1994. testing an in-flight AES using the
SARPs-defined, ISO 8208 data protocol
as the avionics interface. However,
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because no Data-3 or SARPs-compliant position information that is relayed
AES will be available to meet the ICAO from the aircraft through AMSS satel-
approval schedule, the present AES will lites, and through the ground network
be augmented by external software to to air traffic controllers.
emulate the additional SARPs-defined
capabilities. Equip FAA Aircraft for T,ri_...s_
The AES installation on the FAA Development of worldwide standards
aircraft will then be able to operate as for safety services expected to be
a complete ATN- and SARPs-compliant useful for decades requires thorough
user terminal. The tests are scheduled testing in order to be assured that the
for late 1993. requirements are correct, thorough,
and unambiguous. The FAATC Boeing
Optimize for Periodic Reportin_ 727, now equipped for tests using a
low-gain antenna and an early AES,
In the late '80s, ICAO Future Air will have installed a high-gain antenna
Navigation Systems (FANS) study and other capabilities to provide an
reports defined the need for an inte- effective AMS(R)S testbed.
grated Communications, Navigation, and
Surveillance (CNS) capability to A direct interface from the Comsat
enhance safety services using satel- earth station at Southbury, CT, to the
lites. FAATC will be in operation to permit
the real-time interaction necessary for
Within this capability is the require- these tests.
ment for periodic position reporting to
controllers using aircraft-derived Project 2: Oceanic/Remote Voice
information, called Automatic Dependent
Surveillance CADS). Over oceanic and While ordinary and routine informa-
remote areas where conventional com- tion is transmitted by voice in today's
munications means are unreliable, satel- aeronautical Communications, the use of
lite communications can be used instead data message services is becoming more
for this purpose. pervasive. Although this trend will
continue for AMS(R)S routine services,
The use of existing signal architec- voice communications will still be very
tures for regularly-spaced, short data important. There are non-routine and
messages is inefficient. Over the past emergency situations when controller
few years, several schemes have been and aircraft crew need direct and
proposed for more efficient use of the rapid access. The FAA is now develop-
communications channel to improve ing a policy that will clarify the user
spectrum effectiveness and reporting selection of data or voice transmissions
timeliness. under various circumstances.
Presently, simulations are being The Program Plan focus in this
developed; and now, proceeding in project area is on development of
coordination with Inmarsat, the comple- satellite voice capability for oceanic
tion of new reporting protocols for and remote regions. Aircraft that are
inclusion in the SARPs and fitted for AMS(R)S voice will enjoy the
implementations is scheduled for Sep- benefits of greatly improved reliability
tember 1993. and connectivity with controllers any-
where in the satellite coverage areas.
In its ultimate form, the Global Navi-
gation Satellite System (GNSS), which Three activities are relevant, as fol-
will include both the US Global lows.
Positioning System (GPS) and the CIS
Global Orbital Navigation Satellite Sys-
tem (GLONASS), will supply aircraft
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Revise MOPS for Voice coordinated and scheduled plan. The
target for completion of implementation
The current MOPS (RTCA/DO-210) for the oceanic area is late 1996.
covers very minimally the voice
circuit-mode services, relying on the ])efine Requirementa
Inmarsat SDM to support call setup and
release definition of protocols and Initial activities in this project area
interfaces. The specific standards for include definition of requirements in
these are now under accelerated devel- support of an overall Satellite Opera-
opment in SC-165, with the goal for tional Implementation Plan, now in draft
completion early in 1994. form and scheduled to be completed by
late 1993.
Controller Voice Architecture
Conduc__t En_rlneerin_ Trials
Requirements are under development
The FAA aircraft will continue to be
to provide the necessary interfaces for
used to collect data on AMS(R)S trials
air traffic controllers to integrate
in the North Atlantic arem For a period
AMS(R)S voice, to be used for non-
routine needs, with routine data ser- from 1993 through 1995, trials will be
run in coordination with the United
vices.
KingdomJs Civil Aviation Authority.
Conduct Voice Trials
Starting in 1994, the trials will
Northwest Airlines has installed an operate with a full end-to-end ATN
AES in a Boeing 747-400 equipped for capability using AMS(R)S to handle
aircrew and passenger use of satellite Automatic Dependent Surveillance {ADS,
voice services. The airline, with Aero- or periodic position reports) and other
nautical Radio, Inc. (ARINC), and the messages. This will be the first exer-
FAA have drawn a joint test plan for cise of the fully SARPs-compliant capa-
using the system for AMS(R)S during bilities of these three systems.
Northwest's regular service in the
Pacific area. Results will be integrated for analy-
sis with data resulting from the con-
This trial of end-to-end AMS(R)S tinuing Pacific Engineering Trials. This
voice will be conducted first through activity, which began in 1992 prior to
connections from the aircraft's flight an ATN capability, provided ADS
deck to the ARINC Comm Center, and reports using an interim AES-equipped
patched through to the FAATC; and United Airlines aircraft in commercial
later, with direct connection from the service.
aircraft to the FAATC. The trials are
expected to begin in the second quar- Integrate Oceanic Systems End-To-End
ter of 1993 and will extend for six
months. The next step in this project area
will be to integrate AMS(R)S into the
Project 3: Oceanic/Remote Operations FAA's Oceanic Development Facility
(ODF). This facility is under construc-
This part of the Program Plan sup- tion at the FAATC, and will serve as a
ports FAA elements that comprise a principal test bed for all FAA oceanic
Satellite Operational Implementation communications and surveillance opera-
Team. The Team was formed to treat tions. Discussions have begun on
several interrelated satellite programs schedule and goals, working with the
that are in various stages of develop- oceanic program to ensure end-to-end
ment. Its mission is to assure imple- function and performance. The final
mentation of AMS(R)S for improved air step will include the passage of
traffic services according to a
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AMS(R)Sdirectly between the Air Route
Investigations will include use of the
Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs)and
AMSC/TMI and next-generation Inmarsat
the aircraft.
satellite systems, possibilities for using
future Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and
Project 4: Domestic Service Applications Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO), and store-
and-forward terminals such as the
The U.S. domestic applications proj- "Aero-C" Inmarsat terminal.
ect for AMS(R)S communications will
focus first on the use of satellite Future I_D;
communications in selected areas where
it now is difficult to contact aircraft. This project area will support selec-
Also within this area are investigations tion, analyses, and testing of candidate
of satellite alternatives that could systems; and provide for engineering
bring service advantages to the FAA trials and necessary revisions of the
such as reduced cost and improved RTCA MOPS and ICAO SARPs. After
availability. surveying potential improvements to
AMS(R)S, viable candidate architectures
Domestic/Offshore Helicopter Test will be identified for further investiga-
tion and inclusion in planning.
This project area will provide for
the conduct of U.S. domestic area tests CONCLUSION
using an FAA helicopter with a loaned,
interim AMSC AES and Marisat satellite The FAA Program Plan for satellite
capacity currently under lease to the communications provides a basis for
American Mobile Satellite Corporation developing operational services to
(AMSC). The test's three phases, enhance air traffic control. It is an
scheduled from late 1992 through mid- integral part of many ongoing improve-
1995, will move from Loran-C position ments to the air traffic control system.
reports to the use of the Global Moving first from today's high-
Positioning Satellite (GPS) capabilities frequency radio to use of satellite
reported through the AMSCDs spot-beam communications through a Service pro-
satellite. Analyses of the results should vider, the final step is envisioned to
support further developments in the be direct AMS(R)S between flight deck
FAA's domestic and offshore services. and controller.
In a second part of this project, the The Plan supports standards devel-
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is opment; provides for coordinated
under contract to the FAA to develop domestic and international plans, tests
and test a low-cost, light-weight AES and trials leading to integration with
for helicopter use. The terminal should other automated FAA systems; and sur-
also be adaptable for use by fixed- veys and prepares for future improve-
wing aircraft. ment possibilities.
Develov Applications and Eouivmer_t Availability of benefits should be
accelerated by this activity for aircraft
This future planning project will users equipped to these standards and
investigate low-cost satellite communi- interfacing with the ATN. The FAA R&D
cations alternatives for future domestic and operational activities to complete
use, and will identify candidate standards and integrate satellite com-
systems for research. Coordinated work munications will enable users to enjoy
with the FAA's System Engineering a level of communications integrity and
service will identify where future availability not available by any other
needs are not yet being actively means.
planned for.
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