Attachment application.pdf

This document pretains to SAT-MOD-19960702-00095 for Modification on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATMOD1996070200095_1157826

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COM@FR’I G l N‘A‘k by OMB —0589 FCC REMIT’]ANCE ADVICE Expires 2/28/97 PAGE NO. ;1__ or 1 (RESERVED) SPECIAL USB | EeclmEron JUL 0 2 1996 FCC USE ONLY — ,hV‘\':f (Read instructions carefully BEFORE proceeding.) PAYOR INFORMATION (1) FCC ACCOUNT NUMBER Did you have a number prior to this? Enter it. (2) TOTAL AMOUNT PAID (dollars and cents) £..L__L_T_L_L_L_—LL 1| L L_ J [ J J [ J J s SaBM4Ony~, m@.00 (3) PAYOR NAME (If paying by credit card, enter name exactly as it appears on your card) EarthWatch, Incorporated (4) STREET ADDRESS LINE NO. 1 6940 Koll Center Parkway (5) STREET ADDRESS LINE NO. 2 Suite 200 (6) CITY (7) STATE (8) ZIP CODE Pleasanton CA 94566 (9) DAYTIME TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code) (10) COUNTRY CODE (if not U.S.A.) (11A) NAME OF APPLICANT, LICENSEE, REGULATEE, OR DEBTOR FCC USE ONLY EarthWatch, Inc. ¢ v (12A) FCC CALL SIGN/OTHER ID (18A) ZIP CODE (14A) PAYMENT TVPE CODE (15A) QUANTITY (16A) rEE DUE FOR DA95—1707 : B F Y 1 $ 5740.00 (17A) FCC CODE 1 (18A) FCC CODE 2 ; (19A) ADDRESS LINE NO. 1 (20A) ADDRESS LINE NO. 2) (21A) CITW/STATE OR COUNTRY CODE ITEM #2 INFORMATION (11B) NAME OF APPLICANT, LICENSEE, REGULATEE, OR DEBTOR FCC USE ONLY (12B) FCC CALL SIGN/OTHER ID (13B) ZiP CODE GaB) PATMENT TyPE copE_| (15B) QUANTITY (16B) rek pus ron PAYMENT TYPE CODE IN BLOCK 14 $ (17B) FCC CODE 1 (18B) FCC CODE 2 (19B) ADDRESS LINE NO. 1 (20B) ADDRESS LINE NO. 2 (21B) CITYSTATE OR COUNTRY CODE ica=orr cand pavsyent nrormamos oi (22) MASTERCARD/VISA ACCOUNT NUMBER: []] Mastercard EXPIRATION DATE: Month Year []] Visa . wens «— [ AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE nate (28) T harahy anthaniza tha HAM £~ —1

ORIGINAL E/ARITHAWAATCH Incorporated 28 June 1996 Via Overnight Delivery Federal Communications Commission c/o Mellon Bank 3 Mellon Bank Center 525 William Penn Way 27th Floor, Room 153—2713 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15259—0001 (Attention: Wholesale Lockbox Shift Supervisor) Please Direct to: Ms. Fern J. Jarmulnek Chief, Satellite Policy Branch Satellite & Radiocommunications Division Re: Modification of Authorization; EarthWatch Incorporated: File No. DA 95—1707 Dear Ms. Jarmulnek: EarthWatch Incorporated ("EarthWatch") hereby applies for authority to modify its authorization to construct, launch and operate its low—Earth orbit (LEO) remote—sensing satellite system; DA 95—1707 (See also, Files 21/22—DSS—P—93; 43 DSS—LA—94(2); 52—SAT—AMEND—95) to add two additional satellites to the system. EarthWatch currently holds an FCC authorization to construct, launch and operate a remote sensing satellite system consisting of two satellites and associated ground stations. Two additional satellites have been licensed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA") pursuant to the Land Remote Sensing Commercialization Act (15 U.S.C.§ 4201 et seq.). Consequently, we are requesting the Commission to modify the EarthWatch FCC authorization to add two additional remote sensing satellites to the authorized EarthWatch system. EarthWatch Incorporated: "An Imaging and Information Company" 6940 Koll Center Parkway #200 Pleasanton, CA 94566 Tel: 510.417.2040 Fax: 510.417.2045

Federal Communications Commission Page 2 The two new satellites will be very similar to the previously authorized satellites in terms of the communications systems and their operation, with a few improvements as follows: — The inclination of the orbits will be 52 degrees and the altitude of the orbits will be 600 kilometers to improve the data gathering characteristics of the system;" — Component design life has been increased to five years; — The resolution of the optical sensors will be improved to 1 meter IFOV panchromatic and 4 meters IFOV color;" — The bandwidth of the space—to—earth data downlink will be increased to 350 MHz to handle the increased data flow resulting from the increased resolution of the optical sensors;* — Downlink telemetry transmissions will be moved to the band 8025 — 8400 MHz and operate in a 4.2 MHz channel consistent with the data down—link frequencies and to avoid over crowding in the band presently utilized. — Uplink telemetry transmission will be moved to the band 2025 — 2110 MHz and operate in a 30 KHz channel. — Construction of the two satellites will commence in the fall 1996, expected completion in December 1997, anticipated launch in January 1998, and estimated date of placement into service in February 1998. EarthWatch will coordinate with other agencies to ensure that the systems are compatible with other authorized users in the same or adjacent bands. Pursuant to the Commission‘s rules, we enclose a completed fee processing form (FCC Form 159) and a check in the amount of five—thousand seven—hundred forty dollars ($5740) made payable to the Federal Communications Commission to cover the cost of the requisite filing fee 1 Precise orbit characteristics are controlled by the Department of Commerce and may not be changed without prior approval of the Department of Commerce. 2 Spatial resolution is one of the technical characteristics which was carefully reviewed by the Department of Commerce and subjected to review by the Department of Defense and the State Department prior to approval. 3 A further technical description of the communications system is attached in Appendices 1—6. * The downlink will operate in the same band as the previously authorized satellites; 8025 — 8400 MHZ.

Federal Communications Commission Page 3 for modification of space station authorization. We include an extra copy of this modification marked "Return Copy" and kindly request that you date—stamp it and return it to EarthWatch in the enclosed envelope. Please call the undersigned or EarthWatch‘s Washington, D.C. counsel, Mr. Dennis James Burnett, if you have any questions regarding this modification. Very truly yours, 6 fi‘ ; / Howard J. Gannes Vice President EarthWatch Incorporated ce: Dennis James Burnett, Esquire Pierson & Burnett, L.LP. 1667 K St., NW., Suite 801 Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 466—3044 (telephone) (202) 466—3055 (facsimile) encl: Original +9 copies Receipt copy

Appendix 1 EarthWatch IA Spacecraft Communications Overview The EarthWatch IA communications architecture is shown in Figure 1. The EarthWatch IA spacecraft, an enhanced satellite system from EarthWatch, designed to improve ground image resolution will require an increase in downlink bandwidth. The system will communicate through Remote Ground Terminals (RGT‘s) in Italy, Japan, and the U.S. to and from the Mission Control Center (MCC) in Longmont, CO, USA. Links between the RGT‘s and the MCC will be established commercial satellite or terrestrial channels. Figure 1 EarthWatch IA Communications Architecture The EarthWatch IA space—ground communication links are described in Figure 2. The 320 Mbps wideband downlink will transmit compressed image data to the EarthWatch RGT‘s using the 8025 — 8400 MHz Earth Exploration Satellite X—band frequency allocation. The command uplink requires a 2 KHz channel in the 2025 — 2110 MHz STDN frequency allocation; the telemetry downlink resides in a 4.2 MHz channel at approximately 8030 MHz in the Earth Exploration Satellite allocation. All communications to and from the spacecraft will occur only while the vehicle is in view of a RGT. The additional command and telemetry frequencies requested for the EarthWatch IA spacecraft are required to support enhanced operations for an expanded constellation of spacecraft. EarthWatch, Incorporated

Link Center Modulation Bandwidth / Data Rate Encryption Frequency Wideband Data 8185 MHz QPSK 160 MHz / 320 Mbps No (TBR) Command 2025—2110 MHz FSK Tones 30 KHz / 2 Kbps Yes Uplink (one channel) Telemetry 8030 MHz PCM/BPSK/PM 4.096/16.384 Khps on Yes Downlink (two channel) 1.7 MHz sub carrier 256 Khbps on the carrier Figure 2 EarthWatch IA Space—Ground Communication Links Wideband Data Downlink The Wide—Band Data Downlink, shown in Figure 3, will contain compressed image data. The 320 Mbps, QPSK downlink is centered at 8185 MHz. The wideband downlink flux density level is kept below the ground flux density levels specified in ITU Radio Regulation 2570 by emitting only enough energy (with adequate margin) as required by a 3 meter Remote Ground Terminal antenna. This design provides 4.1 dB of link margin and a minimum of 2 dB of margin with respect to ITU Radio Regulation 2570, detailed in Appendix 3. This link design also provides 4 dB of margin with respect to the —176 dBW/m* / 4 KHz flux density levels at geosynchronous orbit given in ITU Radio Regulation 2631. During normal operation the flux density is —210 to —220 dBW/ m* / 4 KHz at geosyne given the 30 to 40 dB front to back ratio of the transmit antenna. EarthWatch is mindful of the users in the band and has participated in the X—band workshops with NASA to assure system compatibilities. EarthWatch, Incorporated

+25 dBiC GAIN 1 CHANNEL ANTENNA @10nz 6 Watt Po RS 422 QPSK MODULATOR Q CHANNEL 16 LINES RS 422 Primary Channel sP2T 2 AXIS SWITCH GIMBAL I CHANNEL 16 LINES @10 MHZ RS 422 QPSK MODULATOR Q CHANNEL 16 LINES RS 422 Redundant Channel Figure 3 Wide—Band Data Downlink Functional Diagram Particular care will be taken to ensure that out of band emissions in the 8400—8500 MHz NASA Deep Space Network band will be below the CCIR recommended limit. This is accomplished by a combination of bandpass filtering on the spacecraft and operational restrictions. In the band from 8400 — 8500 MHz the ground flux density level at the Deep Space Network site will be at least 4 dB below the recommended limit of —255.1 dBW/m* / Hz. Appendix 2 gives the link calculations; Appendix 3 shows the flux density margins. Command Uplink The command uplink (ref. Figure 4) will convey commands that manage the operation of the spacecraft including the sensor subsystem. Adequate link margins and omni—directional antennas on the spacecraft will allow positive control during normal and anomalous operations. Commands to the spacecraft will be encrypted and authenticated to preclude unauthorized access and control. The commands will be encrypted at the EarthWatch Longmont, CO Mission Control Center before routing to any of the RGT‘s. EarthWatch, Incorporated

Nadir Antenna V {[Filter J— Receiver 1 Command Unit 1 |——> Spacecraft Commands Receiver 1 Command Unit 1 |——>» /\ Zenith Antenna Figure 4 EarthWatch IA Command Uplink All commands will be verified for correct word length, parity, and command decoder identification code. This will preclude the execution of corrupted commands. In addition critical commands will be protected using arming commands, so that a single inadvertent command cannot cause permanent damage to the satellite or its payload. The RGT radiated RF power will be adjustable so as to use the minimum power needed in order to guarantee a usable link. This will minimize the opportunities for co—channel interference with other users of the STDN uplink allocation. This design will conform to the limits on EIRP on Earth Station uplinks between 1—15 Ghz as specified in RR 2541. Appendix 4 gives the link calculations for the command uplink. Telemetry Downlink The telemetry downlink ( ref. Figure 5) will contain spacecraft and sensor health and status data along with the information necessary for the processing and geolocation of the imagery. This link is encerypted to preclude unauthorized use of the image data on the wideband link. EarthWatch, Incorporated

Naditr Antennas V Transmitter 1|(«—— Switch NF Coupler Transmitter 1|<—— /\ Zenith Antenna Figure 5 EarthWatch II Telemetry Downlink The spacecraft can switch between omni—directional antennas with adequate link margins to assure contact can be maintained with the spacecraft under all conditions and a nadir—only antenna for increased gain during higher—rate normal operations. All commands to the spacecraft will be returned in the telemetry downlink for verification. The telemetry link calculations are shown in Appendix 5. The downlink flux levels will meet the requirements of ITU Radio Regulation 2557 by a minimum of 1.78 as shown in Appendix 6. EarthWatch, Incorporated

Appendix 2, Mission Data Downlink Analysis 320 MHZ DATA RATE DOWNLINK ANALYSIS Fo=8.185 GHz DOWNLINK _PARAMETERS: Frequency: 8.185 GHz Orbit Height in km 600 Km Local elevation angle above hor. 5 degrees Data Rate 320 Mbps Bandwidth 171.2 Mbps Spacecraft Ant EIRP @ max scan 58.9 dBm Slant Range: 2327.8 km Ground Antenna G/T: 23 dB/K BER 1.00E— 09 Required Eb/No (Without Coding) 12.55 Hardware Imp. BER Loss: 1.5 dB LINK CALCULATION: TOTAL POWER TO_ _GROUND: Satellite EIRP dBm 58.9 dBm Path Loss: —178.1 dB Total Loss (Rain, Polarization, Ect.) —3.0 dB RECEIVER _SENSITIVITY: Required Eb/No 10.1 dB (With Coding Gain & Hardware BER Losses) Available Eb/No 14.1 dBm DOWNLINK MARGIN: 4.1 dB ANTENNA _SIZES: Spacecraft Antenna Segment Spacecraft Dish Diameter 11 inches Approx. HPBW 9.01 degrees Gain of Spacecraft Antenna 25.0 dBi Loss Between HPA out & Ant. input 1.5 dB Transmitter Po 3.5 Watts (@ xmitter output) EIRP of satellite Ant. System 58.9 dBm Ground Antenna Segment Ground Antenna G/T: 23 dB/K System Noise Temperature: 187.2 K (Referenced at Aperture) Directivity Gain Ground Antenna 45.7 dBiC Ground Dish Diameter: 3.0 meters Approx. HPBW 0.8 degrees EarthWatch, Incorporated

Appendix 3, Power Flux Density; Wideband Downlink X—Band Wide Band Downlink — In Band Power Flux Density On The Earth QPSK Modulation 160 Mbps x 2 Channels —130 — : : } ; ; ; ; . ; M i0 o Ee 0 D o iD O i) 0 D o i O iD & D 0 x~ ht O O & & S S Lt L © «© m m to co & Elevation (deg) ~135 FCC X—Band Rqmt S —440 i4 C S Dul < E a. ~145 4 3 Meter Dia. Grd. Station 59 dBm EIRP, 320 Mbps over a 160 Mhz BW / Carrier —150 4 —155 EarthWatch, Incorporated

Appendix 4, S—Band Command Uplink Link Analysis PARAMETER UNITS VALUE 1 UPLINK EIRP (35.70B, 25 W) dBw 78.0 2 FREE SPACE DISPERSIONLOSS dB —166.6 3 ATMOSPHERIC LOSS 42 mm/hr dB 0.4 4 S/C ANTENNA GAIN <+/— 75DEG dBi —5.0 5 POLARIZATION Loss dB —3 6 SICLINELoSS dB —2.7 7 TOTAL S/C RECEIVED POWER dBm —98.9 CARRIER PERFORMANCE 8 NET RECEIVED POWER dBm —98.9 9 MIN CARRIER ACQUIS POWER dBm —117.0 10 MARGIN CARRIER ACQUISITION dB 18.1 COMMAND CHANNEL PERFORMANCE (M1= 1.0) 11 NET RECEIVED POWER dBm —98.9 12 MINIMUM CMD CHANNEL POWER dBm ~112.0 13_COMMAND DESIGN MARGIN dB 13.1 8 EarthWatch, Incorporated

Appendix 5, Narrowband Downlink Link Analysis PARAMETER UNITS VALUE 1 TOTAL TRANSMIT POWER dBm 37.0 2 PASSIVE Loss dB —2.5 3 S/C ANTENNA GAIN >+/— 90DEG dBi —9.0 4 FREE SPACE DISPERSIONLOSS dB 1781 5 ATMOSPHERIC Loss dB —1.0 6 GROUND STATION G/T (spec) dB/K 24.8 7 TOTAL RECEIVED POWER/T dBm/K —128.8 8 BOLTZMAN CONSTANT dBm/Hz/K —198.6 9 TOTAL RECEIVED POWER/KT 69.8 CARRIER CHANNEL 10 CARRIERTOTAL POWER dB —5.9 11 CARRIER POWER/KT (min) dBm/Hz/KT 63.9 12 CARRIER LOOP BW (60 Hz) dB—Hz 17.8 13 CARRIER/NOISE dB 46.1 14 REQUIRED CARRIER/NoiSsE dB 15.0 15 CARRIER MARGIN dB 31.1 DATA CHANNEL (PEM/PM) (playback 16 DATA/TOTAL PoOWER (MIi=1.0) dB —2.1 17 DATA POWER/KT dBm/Hz/KT 67.8 18 INFORMATION RATE 256 KBPS dB—Hz 54.1 19 AVAILABLE S/N dB 13.7 20 REQUIRED Eb/No 10E—5 BER dB 12.1 21 CODING GAIN dB 4.4 22 AVAILABLE SIGNAL MARGIN dB 6.0 DATA CHANNEL (PECM/PSK/PM) (real time) 23 DATATOTAL POWER (Mi=.5) dB —14.7 24 DATA POWER/KT dBm/Hz/KT 55.2 25 INFORMATION RATE (16 KBPS) dB—Hz 42.1 26 AVAILABLE S/N dB 13.0 27 REQUIRED Eb/No 10E—5 BER dB 12.1 28 CODING GAIN dB 4.4 29 AVAILABLE SIGNAL MARGIN dB 5.3 9 EarthWatch, Incorporated

Appendix 6, Flux Density; Narrowband Downlink Narrow Band Downlink — In Band Power Flux Density On The Earth —125 M M ; . i o t 0 uD O i 0 i O D o Lo 0 D 0 D o v— hot O O c c but St > i © © m d co co & Elevation (deg) 130 — 4135 — FCC X—Band Rqmt 140 — dBW/m*2/4KHz 1445 4 Carrier Modulation —150 — ~155 4 Subcarrier Modulation —160 — —165 10 EarthWatch, Incorporated


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