Patent ID: 7532860

Claim:
A method of controlling a satellite comprising: broadcasting a satellite signal; receiving the satellite signal at a number of user terminals; detecting the signal strength of the satellite signal at each of the user terminals; transmitting a second signal from each of the number of user terminals to a satellite control station, the second signal corresponding to the signal strength of the satellite signal received at each of the number of user terminals; and adjusting an operative characteristic of the satellite in response to one or more of the second signals, comprising the steps of: acquiring the second signals from each of the number of user terminals; mapping each of the second signals to a grid; converting the second signals to link margin values on the grid; applying a pattern recognition to the link margin values on the grid to detect signal degradation values; predicting weather; predicting link margin values on the grid from the signal degradation values and the predicted weather; and adjusting the operative characteristic of the satellite using the predicted future link margin values.