Efficiency analysis for the application of blind signal separation methods to counter interference radiation from electric propulsions in space communication systems

Authors: Tyapkin P. S., Vazhenin N. A., Plohih A. P.

Annotation: The article considers the use of blind signal separation algo-rithms to improve interference immunity of the satellite commu-nication channel with octal phase shift keying as applied to the interference, that is caused by the operation of stationary plasma thrusters (SPT), and represents one of the varieties of electric propulsion [1]. During the study, a simulation model of communication channel with an additional channel for receiving interference from SPT was developed. While modeling, some pulsed noise-like signals, formed as a result of SPT operation, were considered as interference in the communication channel. The blind signal separation algorithm nc-FastICA used in the study is based on the method of independent component analy-sis. The main task of the modeling was to verify the applicabil-ity of blind signal separation methods to counter the interference from SPT in the communication channel. The simulation results proved the possibility of efficient use of blind signal separation algorithms to counter SPT interference. Application of the con-sidered algorithm allows achieving a gain in bit error rate by two and more orders of magnitude. Thus, one of the worst cases of signal reception was considered: the gain from the use of the nc-FastICA algorithm is achieved when the bit signal-to-noise ratio is more than 10 dB and when the interference-to-signal ratio in the signal-receiving channel is 10 dB and in the interference receiving channel from the SPT is 30 dB.

Keywords: blind signal separation, independent component analysis, im-provement of communication system interference immunity, deep space communication, ep