Dubna Satellite Communications Center
Dubna history
The Satellite Communications Center (SCC) Dubna, a branch of the Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC), was taken into operation as an Olympic object in 1980 by order of the Minister of communications.
During the Moscow Olympics, SCC Dubna had to provide transmissions of the games to the countries of Europe and the Atlantic region. The technical facilities represented a technical building and two antenna systems. One MARK-4 (32 m) antenna manufactured by the Japan NEC corporation was designed to work via the satellite of the International Satellite Communications Organization Intelsat at 335.5 East orbital slot. The other THA-57 (12 m) Russian-made antenna was operated via the Horizont satellite at 14 West orbital slot. The ground channels were established by means of the radio relay line Moscow – Dubna.
After the Olympic games, the SCC Dubna technical facilities continued to be operated. Telephone channels to the USA, England, Brazil were established, the governmental communications lines between the Kremlin and the White House, the Elysée palace, the Residences on 10,Downing street were introduced. TV news were regularly exchanged with other countries. Practically, all foreign TV sujets were transmitted first through Dubna and then were introduced in News Programs of the Central TV.
In 1982, the international prototype bed for testing new satellite communications equipment in the frequencies bandwidths of 11/14 GHz, 20 and 30 GHz was built. The established network of receiving and transmitting satellite stations and ground radio relay lines enabled the conditions of radio waves propagation in prospective satellite radio bands to be studied. The experiments were completed in 1998.
Late 1970-s, when the problem of providing TV broadcasting to Central and Eastern Siberia arose, the unique system of TV broadcasting in 700 MHz frequency band having as far no world analogs was created. The settlements of BAM builders, oil- and gasmen of Siberia, ships on the Northern Sea way became capable of receiving first the one and then the second Central TV program by means of cheap receivers without expensive parabolic antennas. In order to secure TV broadcasting, two transmitting stations with THA-57 (12 m) antennas were built and in 1988 regular TV transmissions of two central programs to Siberia started. Thanks to above, the number of receiving stations combined with low-power TV repeaters for installing in small settlements increased and by late 1990-s they totaled to more than 10 thousand.
Early 1990-s, demand for long-haul digital satellite telephone lines and for TV satellite channels sharply increased. The new commercial TV companies used the RSCC’ technical facilities for broadcasting TV programs via satellites. In Dubna, started their work TV6, NTV, TV-Centr and STS companies. Sovintel company deployed the digital radio relay station Ostankino – Dubna for transmitting the digital telephone traffic to the satellite lines through Atlantic. Since 2004 SCC Dubna has provided transmission of the Federal digital TV to Khabarovsk, to A and B zones, transmission of the Central TV to the B and Moskva-Globalnaya to the western region.
In 1996 RSCC took part in the international tender for building the telemetry, tracking and control station (TT&C) for the Eutelsat satellites. For the first time, the Russian company won the international tender of such level and in 1997 a contract on building eight antennas for telemetry, tracking and control of ten Eutelsat spacecraft in Dubna was signed and at present, the station has been successfully operated. The experience gained by co-operation with Eutelsat was not less successfully used in similar projects on TT&C of the satellites loading of Intelsat and ABS-1 from SCC Dubna.
Because of development of the own satellite fleet and launch of the Express-AM series satellites, RSCC took into service in Dubna in 2003 the western point of the ground control complex. The complex is connected through a technological network with the Satellite Control Center in the Technical Center Shabolovka in Moscow and includes seven receiving-transmitting E/S for telemetry, tracking and control as well as phase-correlating locator for precise measurement of the satellite angle coordinates.
In 2003, the western point of automated system of monitoring and measurement consisting of two receiving-transmitting and six receiving Earth stations to carry out satellite orbital tests, measurement of the satellite ground station parameters and continuous monitoring of the satellite transponder loading was took into service in Dubna. The point is connected with the communications network operation center in Moscow through the technological network and has been operated under its control.
In SCC Dubna, the VSAT small station networks produced by NEC, GILAT, HUGES, iDirect have been operated. The central network stations serve as control and commutating stations, the computers of which determine the parameters of signals aired from each station. Since 1990-s, the VSAT networks play an important role in meeting the state tasks on establishing broadband communications with RSCC’ participation. For example, in shortest terms a Federal subsystem of confidential communications was deployed in Chechen Republic, a satellite fragment of GAS-Vybory system to meet the tasks of the Central election commission was developed. The established VSAT networks were extensively used to eliminate consequences of such emergency situations as floods in the city of Lensk and in the North Caucasus, loss of the Kursk submarine, etc., as well.
At SCC Dubna work a team of specialists providing technical and operational maintenance of remote ground stations, VSAT networks as well as of antennas and power amplifiers of the satellite E/S. The team is any time preparing to establish communications at any point of the RSCC’ spacecraft servicing.
