DESIGN OF A BIDIRECTIONAL SPACE TO UNDERWATER COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Abstract

The objective of the presented research was to design an adequate system model of a bidirectional communication scheme between a terrestrial control center, a communication satellite, a buoy or group of buoys on the sea surface, and a swarm of patrolling unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The main focus of the research was to create simulation scenarios in shallow water environments (Monterey Bay), mainly by using MATLAB and STK software, that would take advantage of already known systems (satellite constellations such as Starlink) and analyze step-by-step the link budget of the aforementioned communication scheme. This analysis was important for finding potential obstacles on the exchange of information between the participating nodes while simultaneously assisting in the augmentation the quality of service (QoS) of the offered underwater tactical image by the UUVs. The bench test proved the feasibility of this system. The current system is applicable to various operational scenarios, including search and rescue (SAR) and submarine attacks.