The Frontier-X from Rocket Lab is a Software Defined Telemetry, Tracking, and Control (TT&C) Radio. It operates in the X-band from 7145 to 7235 MHz (Rx) and 8400 to 8500 MHz (Tx). This radio is based on the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Applied Physics Lab (APL) Frontier Radio and features Deep Space Network (DSN) and other typical waveforms (SN, KSAT, SSC). It includes a coherent transponder to enable radiometric navigation methods, precision timekeeping functions, FEC encoding and decoding, and a hardware-based critical command decoder (CCD). This radio requires a DC supply of 30 V and consumes less than 7 W of power in Rx mode, 12 W of power in Tx + Rx mode, and 1.5 W of power in standby mode. It is designed for use in near-Earth, deep space missions, and long-range communications and signaling applications.
The Frontier-X radio supports two-way Doppler and two-way ranging for navigation beyond low Earth orbit. It provides a data rate of up to 13.3 Mbps (downlink), and 1.8 Mbps (uplink) and supports PM, BPSK, QPSK, and O/SQPSK modulation schemes. In Rx mode, it has a noise figure of less than 2 dB and a carrier sensitivity of -154 dBm while in Tx mode, it provides a Tx power of 14 dBm and has a phase noise of better than 1.5° (RMS). This TT&C radio is available in a radiation-tolerant package that measures 184 x 128 x 50 mm with SpaceWire – ECSS-E-ST-50-12C single port interface. It has a high-reliability variant with enhanced radiation tolerance and an upgraded parts program.
