Satellite Communications for Autonomous Ocean Systems: 2-Way ARGOS as a first step

A multi-discipline team, led by an AUV developer/user Webb Research Corporation (WRC), has been formed that includes a satellite communications company (ARGOS Inc.), a satellite modem developer (Seimac Ltd.), and the non-profit Autonomous Undersea SystemsInstitute (AUSI). This team will provide, as a result of the proposed effort, a distributed development environment appropriate of all AUVs to use with any satellite communications system. Initially, the Phase I/II effort will use the new 2-way ARGOSsatellite communications system to be placed in operational use in 2002. Members of the team will design and build a set of prototype components that when assembled provide an end-to-end communication channel which simulates the ARGOS two-way, satellitecommunication system. Using this tool, users will be able to experiment with this new channel in a remote AUV fleet context (a) before the system is actually available, and (b) after that, before they must pay for the use of the satellite. Such