Astronomical Technologies and Satellite Communications

Abstract

Satellite communication infrastructures and radio-telescopes have always shared several technological elements. There are several examples in the history of radio-astronomy where dismissed Earth Stations have been converted into radio-telescopes. Dual use stations are also an example, while on some cases satellite communications took advantage of technologies developed for radio-astronomy to improve their capabilities. Future scenarios may see a deeper integration between the two infrastructures: a specific example is discussed with reference to the Square Kilometer Array. A short overview referring to optical communication is also provided.