Performance Evaluation and Comparison of VHF and S-Band Communication Links for the PRETTY Spacecraft

This paper conducts an evaluation of the commu-nication links between the PRETTY spacecraft and its ground station, focusing on measuring the bandwidth efficiencies and effective data rates of both the VHF and S-Band links. Through a detailed comparative analysis, the study explores the relative performance of the two frequency bands, considering the specific implications of utilising differing communication protocols. For the S-Band link, the paper compares the bandwidth efficiencies when operating with both Internet Protocol and CubeSat Space Protocol, assessing how each protocol method influences the effective data rate and bandwidth utilisation. Furthermore, by computing the real achieved performances based on the system design's inherent overheads-such as syn-chronisation markers, frame headers, and packet headers-the study provides valuable insights into the operational efficiency of the spacecraft's communication system. The results presented offer a comprehensive analysis of the system's theoretical and actual performance, yielding key findings that are vital for future mission planning and optimisation of data transmission strategies between CubeSat-class spacecraft and Earth-based receivers.