Performance Improvement of Space Missions Using Convolutional Codes by CRC-Aided List Viterbi Algorithms

Recently, CRC-aided list decoding of convolutional codes has gained attention thanks to its remarkable performance in the short blocklength regime. This paper studies the convolutional and CRC codes of the Consultative Committee for Space Data System Telemetry recommendation used in space missions by all international space agencies. The distance spectrum of the concatenated CRC-convolutional code and an upper bound on its frame error rate are derived, showing the availability of a 3 dB coding gain when compared to the maximum likelihood decoding of the convolutional code alone. The analytic bounds are then compared with Monte Carlo simulations for frame error rates achieved by list Viterbi decoding of the concatenated codes, for various list sizes. A remarkable outcome is the possibility of approaching the 3 dB coding gain with nearly the same decoding complexity of the plain Viterbi decoding of the inner convolutional code, at the expense of slightly increasing the undetected frame error rates at medium-high signal-to-noise ratios. Comparisons with CCSDS turbo codes and low-density parity check codes highlight the effectiveness of the proposed solution for onboard utilization on small satellites and cubesats, due to the reduced encoder complexity and excellent error rate performance.