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.

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.

An RVT-based power allocation method for dynamic LEO-MEO links

Optimizing the power resources allocation method of low earth orbit(LEO)satellites to medium earth orbit(MEO)satellite'links is a significant way to construct efficient satellite constellations for satellite communication.A game theory power allocation method based on remaining visible time(RVT)of LEO-MEO satellites is proposed.Firstly,one LEO-MEO satellite network is classified as a cluster in which the RVT of LEO satellites is modeled.Secondly,the cost function of RVT concerning the character of orbit and throughput in each LEO satellite is mainly designed,which gives greater punishment of utility value to LEO satellites with less RVT and is an essential part of the reasonable utility function applied in diverse motion scenes.Meanwhile,the existence of Nash equilibrium for the proposed utility function in game theory area is proved.Thirdly,an off-cluster scheme for LEO satellites through the proposed threshold is raised to ensure the overall utility value of the whole LEO satellites in cluster.Finally,the performance improvement of the proposed algorithm to the baseline algorithm is verified through simulations in different scenarios.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

An analysis method for ISL of multilayer constellation

The multilayer satellite network has high spatial spectrum utilization, flexible networking, strong survivability, and diversified functions. The inter-satellite links(ISLs) and crosslayer ISLs(CLISLs) enable direct communication paths between satellites, which improves the spatial autonomy of the constellation. Due to the existence of perturbation, ISLs are affected for a long time, which impacts reliable inter-satellite transmission. The stability and complexity of ISL establishment are related to the static and dynamic characteristics of range and azimuth. This paper presents a model of ISLs in a perturbed multilayer constellation. Series of theoretical derivation, simulation, and numerical calculation are carried out. A more comprehensive multilayer constellation ISL model is obtained. The work of this paper provides some theoretical foundations for constellation networking research.

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.

一种高效的低轨卫星网络反向缝建链策略

近年来,低轨卫星通信系统凭借全球覆盖和灵活部署等优势,受到学术界和工业界的广泛关注。在低轨卫星通信系统中,星间链路将多个卫星连接成一个动态网络,如何降低网络的通信时延是一个亟待解决的研究问题。针对Walker极轨道星座的反向缝建链问题,提出一种星形交叉循环建链策略(SCLBS)。将反向缝两侧的轨道划分为多个交叉建链区,通过动态建立星间链路,优化传输时延,为极轨道反向缝提供稳定的建链方案。在飞机和船舶等实际业务场景下对SCLBS进行仿真,结果表明与基于最近卫星准则和基于最长可视时间准则等建链策略相比,SCLBS能够有效降低30%~60%的传输时延,明显提升系统性能。

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.

动态星间链路分析及其STK/Matlab实现

为了动态分析星间链路,提出了一种用来精确计算星间链路的距离"交点"模型,利用该模型可以使星间链路距离的误差仅为米级。在此基础上建立多普勒频移和链路预算动态分析模型,并以STK(Satellite Tool Kit)/Matlab接口实现。最后以24/3/2构型Walker星座为例仿真,得到多普勒频移及其变化率、载温比、门限余量等系统设计所必需的多组参数。

LEO卫星网络的重构与自恢复

针对使用星际链路ISL(intersatellitelinks)的LEO(lowearthorbiting)卫星系统,提出一种基于动态路由策略的网络重构与自恢复算法,通过该算法管理卫星能够尽可能快地检测出故障链路,并通过快速的、自主的测试可精确定位故障链路·重构网络拓扑,当故障链路恢复后,再在拓扑图中恢复该链路·通过在卫星网络上的仿真表明,具有实时性、精确性且可能不占用或只占用很少的额外带宽·

卫星移动通信系统星间链路空间参数分析

通过对现有的卫星移动通信系统星间链路的分析发现 ,伴随着卫星星座高度的增加 ,卫星移动通信系统星间链路指向的动态变化范围不断扩大 ,星间链路的相对距离也不断增大。由此引出对最优化的极轨道卫星移动通信系统星间链路主要参数的模拟与分析 ,从中得到了一些规律性的结论 ,为星间链路的设计与建立提供了理论基础 ;同时 ,卫星移动通信系统星间链路指向性的周期性变化 ,也为星间链路建立过程中最优化搜索算法的建立提供了探索的方向和理论依据。

基于神经网络的数模混合信号调制识别算法

通信信号调制识别技术可用于信号确认、干扰识别、电子战对抗以及星间链路通信等方面。针对低噪声下信号调制方式识别率低与识别种类少的问题,提出一种基于神经网络的数字模拟混合信号调制方式识别算法。简化并改进识别特征参数,降低参数对噪声干扰的敏感度,设计基于判决树的自动识别流程。通过自适应学习速率选取最优隐含层节点数,改进BP神经网络算法。结合判决树和改进的神经网络算法,给出基于神经网络的算法调制方式识别方案。仿真结果表明,在信噪比不低于0 d B时,该算法的平均识别成功率达到98%以上。

全球导航星座星间链路技术发展建议

美国全球定位系统(GPS)的Block IIR和Block IIF系列导航卫星安装了UHF频段的星间链路收发设备,未来的GPS Ⅲ系列导航卫星将用Ka频段星间链路替代UHF频段星间链路,提高星间数据通信容量,增强抗干扰能力;俄罗斯全球导航卫星系统(GLONASS)的新一代GLONASS-K系列导航卫星开始安装S频段星间链路收发设备;欧洲的伽利略(Galileo)卫星导航系统也在规划全球导航星座的星间链路体系;我国北斗(Compass)卫星导航系统正处在由区域覆盖向全球覆盖的过渡阶段,全球星座的星间链路正处在多种系统体制的抉择中。文章在对国外各种星间链路研究的基础上,从导航星座星间链路需求和特点出发,提出建议:1)建设高频段星间链路;2)加强星间天线与卫星总体的联合设计;3)星间网络协议要具有灵活性;4)尽可能保持每颗卫星的星间链路设备状态一致。文章考虑了现有国内技术储备和国外未来技术发展方向,提出的观点可以作为我国全球卫星导航系统对星间链路选择的参考,对我国Compass系统建设技术先进的星间链路有一定的指导意义。

Walker星座星间链路分析

在分析Walker星座构型以及星间链路分类、频率和准则的基础上,研究了24/3/2构型Walker星座星间链路的构建方法和链路可见性,计算和分析了所建立星间链路的方位角、仰角和距离(AER)。研究结果表明,Walker星座可建立多条星间链路。