Coded transmissions for space links affected by solar scintillation: Baseband analysis

A thorough analysis of the behavior of error‐correcting codes over space links affected by solar scintillation is presented. The relevant channel parameters are fixed through the development of a model based on real missions' data. Both telecommand and telemetry links are considered in fast and slow fading conditions. Besides classical coherent modulation schemes, the possibility to use noncoherent modulation schemes is considered, to eliminate the problem of phase tracking. For the case of channels with very slow fading, the use of external interleavers or erasure coding is proposed to cope with error bursts.