Codes on high-order fields for the CCSDS next generation uplink

Recently, short binary and non-binary iteratively-decodable codes have been proposed within the Next Generation Uplink (NGU) working group (WG) of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). The NGU WG targets the design of an enhanced uplink mainly for telecommand with the aim of updating the current uplink standard that employs a short (63, 56) BCH code to protect the telecommand messages. The proposed non-binary turbo/LDPC codes attain large coding gains over the standardized BCH codes, but also over their binary turbo/LDPC counterparts (up to 1.5 dB of coding gain for information blocks of 64 bits). This paper overviews the proposed non-binary code construction, illustrating the potential of non-binary turbo/LDPC codes in the short block length regime. The impact of the proposed solution at system level is investigated, together with its integration in the CCSDS protocol stack.