Interference Modeling and Mitigation Strategies for Next-Generation Telemetry, Tracking & Command (TT&C) Satellite Ground Station in The Malaysian Context

Abstract

Malaysia Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) satellite ground stations are at risk of operational problems caused by over-congestion of Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum, causing severe adjacent channel interference and possible receiver overload. In this study, the local environment was described using a series of 360° azimuth scans of interference frequencies of the S-band facility in the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) and recording the Right-hand Circular Polarization (RHCP) and Left-hand Circular Polarization (LHCP) signals. Findings indicated the presence of two different mechanisms: a narrowband spike on RHCP at 2200 MHz (146° azimuth) and broadband noise on LHCP at the S-band (85.2° azimuth). This interference greatly compromises the reliability of links, which points to the impossibility of passive coexistence anymore. The research comes to the conclusion that conventional filtering is not sufficient. Mitigation has to shift to active cognitive agility, which advises high-rejection cavity filters (e.g., greater than 60 dB rejection), deployment of Dynamic Exclusion Zones and adoption of AI-based spectrum awareness systems to protect national space infrastructure.