Roid Rage Signal Not Found
Aug 14, 2025
Demyan sheds light on the intriguing world of ground communications for space missions, explaining the intricacies of pass scheduling and the challenges of missed links. The discussion dives into the lessons learned from Odin’s mission and the innovative tools being developed for Vestri. Listeners are treated to humorous anecdotes about the trials of space communications and the quirky side of astronaut fame, all while underscoring the profound complexities of deep space operations.
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Deep Space Requires Exotic Ground Hardware
- Deep-space ground comms reuse core radio components but require far more sensitive, cooled amplifiers and rare infrastructure.
- That scarcity and sensitivity makes deep-space links qualitatively different from near-Earth satellite comms.
Scheduling Passes Before Separation
- After separation we pre-schedule antennas by computing where Earth will need to point to see the spacecraft.
- We call each scheduled window a "pass" and book contacts in advance because antenna time is limited.
Competing For The Same Beam
- Odin launched as a rideshare with several other spacecraft, so many teams competed for the same ground assets simultaneously.
- That competition left AstroForge without priority access to the primary dishes during critical early passes.