Start of main content

Programme

15 September 2025

Module 1: Applications - Live virtual

Chair: Dave Davis, ST Engineering iDirect

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 1: Chairman’s welcome

Principles and background of Satellite communications
  • Achieve a clear understanding of key terms and architectures relating to Satcom.
Dave Davis, ST Engineering iDirect 
10:30 Refreshment break
10:45 Session 2: Commercial Aspects of Satcoms
  • Who the key satellite operators are and their business models
  • How we make money from selling satellite services to customers
  • How we manage some of the key risks along the way
David Jowsey, BT Media & Broadcast
12:15 Lunch
13:15 Session 3: Milsatcoms

Dave Davis, ST Engineering iDirect 
14:45 Refreshment break
15:00 Session 4: Emerging Technologies – Satellite-5G Future Vision
  • Trends and technology underpinning current and future 5G NTN systems
  • Potential business opportunities and applicability of AI to future systems
  • Achieve a broader understanding of the key requirements and implications of the military use of Satcom
Paul Febvre, Satellite Applications Catapult
16.30 Close
16 September 2025

Module 2: Link Engineering - Live virtual

Chair: TBC

08:55

 Teams open

09:00

 Session 5: Link Budget Primer
  • Understand basic concepts of power in microwave or satellite links
  • Be conversant with the decibel – dB – notation
  • Understand spreading loss & basics of line-of-sight transmission
  • Perform simple calculations based on Free-Space Path Loss (FSPL)
  • Deal with noise power & noise temperature
  • Combine the above into simple Link Budgets
  • Understand the meaning of C/No – carrier-to-noise density
Tim Tozer, University of York

10:30

 Refreshment break

10:45

 Session 6: Modulation and Coding

Tim Tozer, University of York

12:15

 Lunch

13:15

 Session 7: Satellite System Planning - Power Link Budgets
  • Understand satellite link budgets
Barry Evans, University of Surrey

14:45

 Refreshment break

15:00

 Session 8: QoS Design Using Link Budgets
  • Produce satellite link budgets for new applications
Barry Evans, University of Surrey

16:30

 Close
17 September 2025

Module 3: Access, Networks and Antenna - Live virtual

Chair: Tim Tozer, University of York

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 9: Satellite Access Techniques
  • Basic forms of satellite networks
  • Concepts of Multiplexing and Multiple Access
  • Core techniques of FDMA, TDMA
  • Spread Spectrum and CDMA
  • Contention-based schemes
  • Issues in Medium Access Control (MAC)
  • Opportunities and trade-offs of the above techniques
Tim Tozer, University of York
10:30 Refreshment break
10:45 Session 10: Passive Antennas

Tim Waterfield, Industry Expert
12:15 Lunch
13:15 Session 11: Active Antennas

Tim Waterfield, Industry Expert
14:45 Close
22 September 2025

Module 4: Antennas and Propagation - Live virtual

Chair: TBC

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 12: Spacecraft Engineering and Testing

Max Petrozzi Ilstad, ESA
10:00 Refreshment break
10:15 Session 13: NGSO systems
  • Orbital mechanics and classifications (self study part of the slides)
  • Why and When NGSO: use cases
  • Technical and Operational challenges (constellation design and types, doppler shift, hand over, interference, etc.)
  • Regulatory and environmental impacts (spectrum sharing, launching, space debris)
  • Emerging technologies and future developments (5G/6G NTN, direct satellite to handheld, business and new market)
Farbod Kayhan, Telespazio, UK
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Session 14: Satcom on the Move (SOTM)
  • Understand practical system design issues and limitations for challenging platform and use cases.
  • Analyse potential SOTM solutions and make choices appropriate to a use case.
Kevin Shaw, UK Strategic Command, MoD
14:30 Refreshment break
14:45 Session 15: Propagation

Ifiok Otung, University of Bradford
16:15 Session 16: Space Environment

Pip Halpin, DSTL
17:15 Close
23 September 2025

Module 5: Regulations and Spectrum - Live virtual

Chair: Paul Iliffe, Satcoms Expert

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 17: Satcoms Regulations and Spectrum Management

Mark Posen, RPC Telecommunications Ltd
10:30 Refreshment break
10:45 Session 18: Payload Engineering

Daryl Jones, Airbus Defence and Space
12:15 Lunch
13:15 Session 19: TCP/IP and Satellite
  • Using Satellite for Broadband Access
  • Satellite Protocol Enhancing Proxies and TCP
  • The QUIC web transport protocol over satellite
Gorry Fairhurst, University of Aberdeen
14:45 Session 20: Satcoms project briefing and questions
15:00 Close
24 September 2025

Module 6: Workshop Exercises - Live Virtual

Chair: Daryl Jones, Airbus Defence and Space

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 20: Satcoms Project: Payload design

Project leader: Daryl Jones, Airbus Defence and Space
10:30 Refreshment break
10:45 Session 20 (continued)
11:30 Project presentations
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Session 21: The Satcoms Game on creating your Satcomm organisation
  • Markets, Funding, and Business Set-Up
  • Constellations, Payloads, and Procurement
  • Policies, People, and Operations
Paul Iliffe, Satcoms Expert
16:00 Close