More performant codes for deep-space missions: The turbo codes option

Rosetta is the first of a series of Deep Space missions to be launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the next century. Using the present standard of the Consultative Committe for Space Data Systems (CCSDS), the nominal return link margins of Rosetta are 1.5 dB, too low even with a state-of-the-art 34-m Earth Station antenna. Similar problems are also expected from Mars Express and SMART-I, currently undergoing feasibility studies. For this (as well as other) reasons, ESA, together with NASA, has started investigating if the recently introduced turbo codes could outperform the CCSDS standard concatenated code by at least 1.5 dB on frame error rate. This paper describes the methodology through which a number of moderate complexity turbo codes with improvement on frame error rate ass high as 2.8 dB has been found.