Data-Driven Heuristic Assisted Memetic Algorithm for Efficient Inter-Satellite Link Scheduling in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

Inter-satellite link(ISL)scheduling is required by the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS)to guarantee the system ranging and communication performance.In the BDS,a great number of ISL scheduling instances must be addressed every day,which will certainly spend a lot of time via normal metaheuristics and hardly meet the quick-response requirements that often occur in real-world applications.To address the dual requirements of normal and quick-response ISL schedulings,a data-driven heuristic assisted memetic algorithm(DHMA)is proposed in this paper,which includes a high-performance memetic algorithm(MA)and a data-driven heuristic.In normal situations,the high-performance MA that hybridizes parallelism,competition,and evolution strategies is performed for high-quality ISL scheduling solutions over time.When in quick-response situations,the data-driven heuristic is performed to quickly schedule high-probability ISLs according to a prediction model,which is trained from the high-quality MA solutions.The main idea of the DHMA is to address normal and quick-response schedulings separately,while high-quality normal scheduling data are trained for quick-response use.In addition,this paper also presents an easy-to-understand ISL scheduling model and its NP-completeness.A seven-day experimental study with 10080 one-minute ISL scheduling instances shows the efficient performance of the DHMA in addressing the ISL scheduling in normal(in 84 hours)and quick-response(in 0.62 hour)situations,which can well meet the dual scheduling requirements in real-world BDS applications.

Effect of different inter-satellite range on measurement precision of Earth’s gravitational field from GRACE

The precision of Earth＇s gravitational field from GRACE up to degree and order 120 was studied for different inter-satellite ranges using the improved energy conservation principle. Our simulated result shows that： For long wavelength （L≤20） at degree 20, the cumulative geoid-height error gradually decreased with increasing range, from 0. 052 cm for 110 km to 1. 156 times and 1. 209 times as large for 220 km and 330 kin, respectively. For medium-wavelength （ 100 ≤ L ≤ 120） at degree 120, the cumulative geoid-height error de- creased from 13. 052 cm for 110 km, to 1. 327 times and 1. 970 times as large for the ranges of 220 km and 330 km, respectively; By adopting an optimal range of 220 ± 50 km, we can suppress considerably the loss of precision in the measurement of the Earth＇ s long-wavelength and medium-wavelength gravitational field.

Inter-satellite Link Topology Design and Relative Navigation for Satellite Clusters

A distributed relative navigation approach via inter-satellite sensing and communication for satellite clusters is proposed. The inter-satellite link(ISL)is used for ranging and exchanging data for the relative navigation,which can improve the autonomy of the satellite cluster. The ISL topology design problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem where the energy consumption and the navigation performance are considered. Further,the relative navigation is performed in a distributed fashion,where each satellite in the cluster makes observations and communicates with its neighbors via the ISL locally such that the transmission consumption and the computational complexity for the navigation are reduced. The ISL topology optimization problem is solved via the NSGA-Ⅱ algorithm,and the consensus Kalman filter is used for the distributed relative navigation. The proposed approach is flexible to varying tasks,with satellites joining or leaving the cluster anytime,and is robust to the failure of an individual satellite. Numerical simulations are presented to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach.

Dynamic Characteristics of Inter-Satellite Links in LEO Networks

To establish an efficient inter-satellite link (ISL) in an LEO network, the effect of geometric characteristics of ISL on the ISLs and the devices on the LEO satellite should be examined. Because of the continuous movement of the LEO satellite, the time-varying behaviours of the ISL's geometric charactersistics continuously change with the changes of the satellite's position on the orbit. These dynamic geometric characteristics of the ISLs are important for ISL's performance analyzing and the design of the devices on the LEO satellite. This paper describes dynamic geometric characteristics of ISL, analyzes the impact of these regulations on the tracking system of the satellite's antenna and the power adjusting system of the satellite's transmitter, with the Iridium system as an example.

Adaptive frame length algorithm for inter-satellite links

In view of the low ranging efficiency of the conventional fixed frame-length algorithm in the inter-satellite link,an adaptive frame-length algorithm is proposed. The frame length is adjusted adaptively according to the results of ranging and velocity measuring to improve ranging efficiency. Buffers which enable the frame length to be selected discretely and adaptively are introduced to avoid frequent hopping of the frame-length.Frame length marker is created to automatically identify the frame-length for frame synchronization procedures in receivers. The feasibility and the validity of the proposed algorithm to improve the efficiency of ranging are verified through both theoretic analysis and simulation,and the efficiency improves up to 88% when there are five buffers. This improvement can be further enhanced by increasing the number of buffers. Proper allocation of inter-satellite buffers is required to make a balance between the ranging efficiency and the system complexity.

Zenith pass tracing of the inter-satellite linkage antenna

The inter-satellite linkage antenna of the user satellite uses the Elevation-over-Azimuth type,and the zenith pass problem occurs during tracing TDRS. Firstly,the movement laws of the inter-satellite linkage is introduced for predicting the movement of the user satellite antenna. Then,the potential zenith pass moment is analyzed in detail. Some special orbits for the user satellite that can avoid the blindness zone are obtained. Finally,the zenith pass tracing strategies for the user satellite antenna based on the mechanical tilting are designed by using the trajectory preprocessor. The designs are based on the predicting results of the movement laws of the inter-satellite linkage. The strategies are proved to be reasonable and feasible for solving the zenith pass problem by simulation.

Impacts of inter-satellite links on the ECOM model performance for BDS-3 MEO satellites

Inter-satellite link(ISL)plays an essential role in current and future Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS).In this study,we investigate the impact of ISL observations on precise orbit determination for BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System(BDS-3)Medium Earth Orbit(MEO)satellites based on different Extended CODE Orbit Models(ECOM).Thanks to the better observation geometry of the Ka-band ISL data compared to the L-band data for BDS-3 MEO satellites,the ISL solution substantially reduces Orbit Boundary Discontinuity(OBD)errors,except for C30,which suffers from unstable Ka-band hardware delay.From the external quality analysis,ISL significantly enhances the reliability of the orbit of MEO satellites manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology(CAST).The standard deviation(STD)of the satellite laser ranging(SLR)residuals is approximately 2.5 cm,and the root mean square(RMS)is reduced by 10–23%compared to L-band solutions.Besides,the Sun-elongation angle dependent systematic error in SLR residuals nearly vanishes based on the reduced 5-parameter ECOM(ECOM1)or extended 7-parameter ECOM(ECOM2)with ISL data.This is because the ISL reduces the correlation between state parameters and solar radiation pressure(SRP)parameters as well as those among SRP parameters,leading to a more accurate estimation of both orbit and SRP perturbations,particularly those along B direction.This confirms that the deficiency of the SRP models for BDS-3 CAST satellites can be compensated by using better observation geometry from ISL data.On the other hand,for the satellite manufactured by Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites(SECM),the ISL allows for a more accurate estimation of the Bc_(1)parameter in the ECOM1 model.This only reduces linear systematic error,possibly because the impact generated by the satellite bus cannot be entirely absorbed by the B-direction parameters.

Principle demonstration of fine pointing control system for inter-satellite laser communication

Due to high data rates and reliability,inter-satellite laser communication has developed rapidly in these days.However,the stability of the laser beam pointing is still a key technique which needs to be solved;otherwise,the beam pointing jitter noise would reduce the communication quality or,even worse,would make the inter-satellite laser communication impossible.For this purpose,a bench-top of the fine beam pointing control system has been built and tested for inter-satellite laser communication.The pointing offset of more than 100rad is produced by the steering mirror.With beam pointing control system turned on,the offset could be rapidly suppressed to lower than 100 nrad in less than 0.5 s.Moreover,the pointing stability can be kept at 40 nrad for yaw motion and 62 nrad for pitch motion,when the received beam jitter is set at 20rad.

Autonomous satellite constellation orbit determination using the star sensor and inter-satellite links data

A method of autonomous orbit determination for a satellite constellation using a star sensor combined with inter satellite links(ISLs) is studied.Two types of simulated observation data,Three-Satellite Constellation ISLs and background stellar observations by a CCD star sensor,are first produced.Based on these data,an observation equation is built for the constellation joint autonomous orbit determination,in which the simulations are run.The accuracy of this method with different orbital determination models are analyzed and compared with regard to the effect of potential measurement errors.The results show that autonomous satellite constellation orbit determination using star sensor measurement and ISLs data is feasible.Finally,this paper arrives at several conclusions which contribute to extending this method to a more general satellite constellation.

Formation keeping control through inter-satellite electromagnetic force

Satellite formation keeping through inter-satellite electromagnetic force provides an attractive alternative for future space missions due to its distinct advantages of no propellant consumption or plume contamination as compared to conventional approaches.However,the internal force nature as well as the high nonlinearity and coupling of electromagnetic force brings new control challenges for this novel technique.In this paper,analysis on the dynamics characteristics and special control issues in the presence of electromagnetic force is carried out on the basis of the derived relatively translational dynamics.Considering the model uncertainties,external disturbances and sensor noise,a combined nonlinear control scheme involving feed-forward and feedback control components is proposed for electromagnetic-force-based formation keeping.The feed-forward component is directly obtained through desired configuration and dynamics under nominal conditions while the feedback component is realized utilizing active disturbance rejection control methodology with some reasonable improvement.Numerical simulation is presented to verify the feasibility and validity of the combined control scheme.

Analysis of the connectivity and robustness of inter-satellite links in a constellation

In the design of new constellation configurations or research of existing constellation performance,the connectivity and robustness of inter-satellite links (ISL) are needed for analysis.In this paper,graph theory is used to analyze the connectivity and robustness of the ISL in constellations,which are measured under the requirements of a short average distance and a small range of ISL azimuth angles,elevation angles and distances.The method to determine ISL connectivity by using the adjacency matrix of graph theory is put forward for the first time,and the standards of the ISL performance are given using:the number of ways between any two satellites,cutting point,cutting edge,k-connectivity degree and k-edge connectivity degree of graph theory.Finally,in the simulation,the ISLs in the Walker 24/6/1 constellation and the ISLs in the Walker 24/3/1 constellation are established from the optimal perspective of the azimuth angle,elevation angle and distance,and the characteristics of ISL in the Walker 24/6/1 and Walker 24/3/1 constellations are compared.The conclusions of this paper can be used as a reference for the design of new constellation configurations and analysis of existing ISLs.

Orbit determination and time synchronization for BDS-3 satellites with raw inter-satellite link ranging observations

To provide competitive global positioning and timing services under the condition that monitoring stations are confined to Chinese territory,inter-satellite link(ISL)technology is used by the third-generation BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS-3).The ISL,together with the dual one-way links between satellites and anchor stations,may enable autonomous navigation for BDS-3.In this paper,we propose a general observation model for orbit determination(OD)and time synchronization(TS)directly using non-simultaneous observations,such as raw ISL pseudoranges.With the proposed model,satellite orbits,clocks,and hardware delay biases of ISL equipment can be determined simultaneously by jointly processing inter-satellite one-way pseudorange data and observation data from ground monitoring stations.Moreover,autonomous OD and TS are also achievable with one-way pseudorange data from anchor stations and satellites.Data from eight BDS-3 satellites,two anchor stations,and seven monitoring stations located in China were collected to validate the proposed method.It is shown that by jointly processing data from the ISL and seven monitoring stations,the RMS of overlap orbit differences in radial direction is 0.019 m,the overlap clock difference(95%)is 0.185 ns,and the stability of the estimated hardware delay biases for each satellite is greater than 0.5 ns.Compared with the results obtained with the seven stations,the improvements of orbits in radial direction and clocks are 95.7%and 90.5%,respectively.When the hardware delay biases are fixed to predetermined values,the accuracies of orbits and clocks are further improved.By jointly processing pseudoranges from the satellites and the two anchor stations,the RMS of overlap orbit differences is 0.017 m in the radial direction,and the overlap clock difference(95%)is 0.037 ns.It has also been demonstrated that under the condition of one-way ranging links,the accuracies of orbits and clocks obtained by the above two modes are still significantly better than those obtained by using the data from the monitoring stations alone.

Inter-satellite link augmented BeiDou-3 orbit determination for precise point positioning

Precise Point Positioning(PPP) requires precise products, including high-accuracy satellite orbit and clock parameters. It is impossible to obtain an orbit solution that is sufficiently accurate for PPP services with a regional tracking network;therefore, satellite orbits are usually estimated by a global tracking network with a large number of ground stations. However, it is expensive to build globally distributed stations. Fortunately, BeiDou-3 satellites carry an InterSatellite Link(ISL) payload, which can track the whole arc of the BeiDou-3 satellites and enhance the orbit determination accuracy with regional ground stations. In this contribution, a novel orbit determination strategy for BeiDou-3 PPP is proposed, in which the BeiDou-3 satellite orbits are enhanced by the ISL. First, the generation of precise satellite products is demonstrated in detail.In addition, the products are assessed by Satellite Laser Ranging(SLR) residuals and overlap comparisons. Moreover, the products are used for receivers in China's Mainland to carry out the static and kinematic modes to research the PPP performance of Bei Dou-3’s 3IGSO/24MEO constellation.The SLR validations of the satellite orbits demonstrate an accuracy better than 0.1 m in the radial component, and the orbit overlap comparisons show accuracies of 0.016 m in the radial component,0.088 m in the along-track component and 0.087 m in the cross-track component. The Standard Deviation(STD) in the differences in overlapping arcs for the estimated satellite clocks is approximately 0.10 ns. The static PPP results demonstrate that the error in both the horizontal and vertical components is smaller than 10 cm after 30 minutes of convergence. After 24 hours of convergence,the errors are 0.70 cm, 0.63 cm and 1.99 cm for the north, east and up components, respectively.The kinematic PPP experiment illustrates that the Root Mean Square(RMS) position errors in the north, east and up components are approximately 3.23 cm, 5.27 cm and 8.64 cm, respectively,after convergence. The obtainable positioning and convergence performances are comparable to those using products generated by global tracking networks.

Precise orbit determination for a large LEO constellation with inter-satellite links and the measurements from different ground networks:a simulation study

Geodetic applications of Low Earth Orbit(LEO)satellites requires accurate satellite orbits.Instead of using onboard Global Navigation Satellite System observations,this contribution treats the LEO satellite constellation independently,using Inter-Satellite Links and the measurements of different ground networks.Due to geopolitical and geographical reasons,a ground station network cannot be well distributed.We compute the impact of different ground networks(i.e.,global networks with different numbers of stations and regional networks in different areas and latitudes)on LEO satellite orbit determination with and without the inter-satellite links.The results are based on a simulated constellation of 90 LEO satellites.We find that the orbits determined using a high latitude network is worse than using a middle or low latitude network.This is because the high latitude network has a poorer geometry even if the availability of satellite measurements is higher than for the other two cases.Also,adding more stations in a regional network shows almost no improvements on the satellite orbits if the number of stations is more than 16.With the help of ISL observations,however,the satellite orbits determined with a small regional network can reach the same accuracy as that with the global network of 60 stations.Furthermore,satellite biases can be well estimated(less than 0.6 mm)and have nearly no impact on satellite orbits.It does thus not matter if they are not physically calibrated for estimating precise orbits.

A Handover Strategy in the LEO Satellite-Based Constellation Networks with ISLs

A new handover strategy named minimal-hops handover(MHH) strategy for the lowearth orbit(LEO) satellite constellations networks equipped with inter-satellite links(ISLs) is proposed.MHH strategy,which is based on the hops of the end-to-end connection paths and makes good use of theregularity of the constellation network topology,can appropriately combine the handover procedure withrouting and efficiently solve the inter-satellite handover issue.Moreover,MHH strategy can providequality of services(QoS) guarantees to some extent.The system performances of the MHH strategy,suchas time propagation delay and handover frequency,are evaluated and compared with that of otherprevious strategies.The simulation results show that MHH strategy performs better than other previoushandover strategies.

Integrated method for measuring distance and time difference between small satellites

The advancement of small satellites is promoting the development of distributed satellite systems,and for the latter,it is essential to coordinate the spatial and temporal relations between mutually visible satellites.By now,dual one-way ranging(DOWR)and two-way time transfer(TWTT)are generally integrated in the same software and hardware system to meet the limitations of small satellites in terms of size,weight and power(SWaP)consumption.However,studies show that pseudo-noise regenerative ranging(PNRR)performs better than DOWR if some advanced implementation technologies are employed.Besides,PNRR has no requirement on time synchronization.To apply PNRR to small satellites,and meanwhile,meet the demand for time difference measurement,we propose the round-way time difference measurement,which can be combined with PNRR to form a new integrated system without exceeding the limits of SWaP.The new integrated system can provide distributed small satellite systems with on-orbit high-accuracy and high-precision distance measurement and time difference measurement in real time.Experimental results show that the precision of ranging is about 1.94 cm,and that of time difference measurement is about 78.4 ps,at the signal to noise ratio of 80 dBHz.

A distributed routing algorithm based-on simplified topology in LEO satellite networks

In this paper, a distributed muting strategy based on simplified topology （DRBST） was proposed for LEO satellite networks. The topology of LEO satellite networks was simplified aiming at minimizing intersatellite links handover number. To optimize the route based on the simplified topology, we considered not only the transmission delay but also the queuing delay and the processing delay, which were analyzed using Markov chain and determined using a novel methodology. The DRBST algorithm was simulated in a LEO satellite networks model built using OPNET. The simulation results demonstrate that the low complexity DRBST algorithm can guarantee end-to-end delay bound. Moreover, the muting protocol cost is much less than traditional algorithms.

Comparison between several satellite constellation schemes for MEO-TDRSS of China

The satellite constellation classes, which are suitable for the medium earth orbit tracking and data relay satellite system （MEO-TDRSS） of China, are investigated. On the basis of the functionality and the traffic distribution characteristic of MEO-TDRSS, the coverage performance and inter-satellite link properties of four different constellation schemes are compared by simulations. Simulation results indicate that the rosette and common-track constellations, whose satellites are distributed on the celestial sphere more uniformly, are appropriate for the implementation of MEO-TDRSS of China.

A Safe and Reliable Routing Mechanism of LEO Satellite Based on SDN

Satellite networks have high requirements for security and data processing speed.In order to improve the reliability of the network,software-defined network(SDN)technology is introduced and a central controller is set in the network.Due to the characteristics of global perspective,control data separation,and centralized control of SDN,the idea of SDN is introduced to the design of the satellite network model.As a result,satellite nodes are only responsible for data transmission,while the maintenance of the links and the calculation of routes are implemented by the controller.For the massive LEO satellite network based on SDN,a state evaluation decision routing mechanism is proposed.The designed mechanism monitors the status of the entire network effectively and reduces the on-board load on the satellite network.The best routing decision is made under the comprehensive consideration of the current and historical status of each inter-satellite link between Low Earth Orbit(LEO)satellite network nodes.The calculation and storage requirements are controlled within a reasonable range.Based on the curve parameter transmission fuzzy encryption algorithm,a safe and reliable condition assessment decision routing mechanism(CADRM)is designed.It ensures that the personal information of the LEO satellite network can be transmitted safely and effectively.The experimental simulation results show the improvement of network throughput,the reduction of packet loss rate and the enhancing of network reliability.

Design for the simulation of space based information network

Ongoing research is described that is focused upon modelling the space base information network and simulating its behaviours： simulation of spaced based communications and networking project. Its objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing a tool that can provide a performance evaluation of various eonstellation access techniques and routing policies. The architecture and design of the simulation system are explored. The algorithm of data routing and instrument scheduling in this project is described. Besides these, the key methodologies of simulating the inter-satellite link features in the data transmissions are also discussed. The performance of both instrument scheduling algorithm and routing schemes is evaluated and analyzed through extensive simulations under a typical scenario.