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Spacecraft Telemetry: Recommendations and standards

The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) publishes recommendations documents (Blue Books) for spacecraft packet telemetry. The recommendations define protocols, procedures and data structures, including the TM Transfer Frame. The recommendations have been adopted by many space agencies.

The documents can be downloaded from the CCSDS site at www.ccsds.org.

Note: The packet telemetry recommendations define the TM Space Data Link Protocol for handling Version-1 Transfer Frames. The AOS recommendations define the AOS Space Data Link Protocol for handling Version-2 Transfer Frames.

CCSDS recommendations

TM Synchronization and Channel Coding, CCSDS 131.0-B-1, September 2003

TM Space Data Link Protocol, CCSDS 132.0-B-1, September 2003

Space Packet Protocol, CCSDS 133.0-B-1, September 2003

CCSDS original recommendations

The CCSDS original recommendations for packet telemetry are now obsolete (silver status):

Telemetry Channel Coding, CCSDS 101.0-B-6-S, October 2002

Packet Telemetry, CCSDS 102.0-B-5-S, November 2000

Packet Telemetry Services, CCSDS 103.0-B-2-S, June 2001

The original recommendations have some differences, for example in presentation and technical terms, but the major technical content is similar to the current recommendations.

ESA Standards and ECSS

The standards of the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) are based on the CCSDS recommendations.

I B + M A de Lande Long Software + Consultancy provided support for the development of telemetry standards for ECSS:

Space data links - Telemetry synchronization and channel coding, ECSS-E-ST-50-01C, 31 July 2008

Space data links - Telemetry transfer frame protocol, ECSS-E-ST-50-03C, 31 July 2008

The ECSS standards replace the earlier ESA standards:

ESA Telemetry Channel Coding Standard, ESA-PSS-04-103, Issue 1, September 1989

ESA Packet Telemetry Standard, ESA-PSS-04-106, Issue 1, January 1988

CCSDS informational reports

CCSDS publishes informational reports (Green Books) which provide additional information and explanation. The Green Books relevant to telemetry include:

Overview of Space Communications Protocols, Green Book, CCSDS 130.0-G-2, December 2007

Space Data Link Protocols - Summary of Concept and Rationale, Green Book, CCSDS 130.2-G-1, December 2007

TM Synchronization and Channel Coding - Summary of Concept and Rationale, Green Book, CCSDS 130.1-G-1, June 2006

TM Products TC Standards AOS Standards