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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, Cranfield University
16.30 Close
16 September 2025

Module 2: Link Engineering - Live virtual

Chair: Tim Tozer, University of York

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

Alister Burr, 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 Refreshment break
15:00

Session 12: The challenges faced when designing a P-LEO constellation

Ben Allen, Director and Principal Innovator, Beta Alpha Ltd
16:00

Session 13: Resilient communications with mobility user terminals

  • Requirements for Resilient Satellite Communications
  • Comparison and limitations of different antenna types
  • Novel antennas for improved system resilience

Jeremy Turpin, All.Space
17:00

Close
22 September 2025

Module 4: Systems and environment - Live virtual

Chair: Ifiok Otung, University of Bradford

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 14: Spacecraft engineering and testing

Max Petrozzi Ilstad, ESA
10:00 Refreshment break
10:15 Session 15: 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, 5G/6G NTN Technical Lead, Amphinicy Technologies, Luxembourg
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Session 16: 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 17: Propagation

Ifiok Otung, University of Bradford
16:15

Session 18: Space Environment

  • Understand the space environment, space weather phenomena and why we should care about them.
  • Understand the impact of space weather on modern technologies.
Pip Halpin, DSTL
17:15 Close
23 September 2025

Module 5: Spectrum and engineering - Live virtual

Chair: Paul Iliffe, Satcoms Expert

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 19: Satcoms regulations and spectrum management

Mark Posen, RPC Telecommunications Ltd
10:30 Refreshment break
10:45 Session 20: Payload engineering

Daryl Jones, Airbus Defence and Space
12:15 Lunch
13:15 Session 21: 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 Refreshment break
15:00

Session 22: Earth station RF engineering

Spyridon Grammenos, Inmarsat
16:15

Session 23: Satcoms project briefing and questions

Daryl Jones, Airbus Defence and Space
Spyridon Grammenos, Inmarsat
16:30 Close
24 September 2025

Module 6: Workshop Exercises - Live Virtual

Chair: Daryl Jones, Airbus Defence and Space

08:55 Teams open
09:00 Session 23 (Projects)

Project A: 
Payload design
Daryl Jones, Airbus Defence and Space 

Project B: 
Earth station design
Spyridon Grammenos, Inmarsat 
10:30 Refreshment break
10:45 Session 23 (Projects continued)
11:30 Project presentations
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Session 24: The satcoms game, build a satcoms company to connect the world and beyond.  
  • A 3-stage guided simulation, where you will create a satcoms concept, system, and business.
Paul Iliffe, Space Education Specialist
16:00 Close