Autonomous Time Synchronization Algorithm and Time Synchronization Link Performance Analysis in the Satellite Constellation

Abstract

A variety aerospace applications require high-precision time frequency reference and the corresponding time synchronization method. This paper studies the movement characteristics of the satellite in the constellation, and proposes an autonomous dynamic two-way high-precision time synchronization algorithm with adaptation to between the moving satellites. According to the given three-tier constellation structure including GEO satellites, IGSO satellites and MEO satellites,which simulates the intersatellite range between tier in the constellation, and analyzes the time synchronization link performance of GEO-IGSO, GEO-MEO and IGSO-MEO at band S with setting intersatellite transmission system, link parameters, transmission loss and without regard to intersatellite pointing accuracy error, etc. The results show that when the intersatellite range is the maximum, S-band transmission rate shall reach 1 Mbps or more, when the diameter of the antenna is 1 m, the required transmitting power of GEO, IGSO and MEO satellite is about 50 W.The results provide references for the choice of transmitter power of the satellite, antenna diameter, and intersatellite information transmission rate, etc., so as to improve the autonomous time synchronization accuracy and the establishment of a two-way time synchronization link.