Thermosphere joint observations by TM-1 constellations and Swarm-B during the April 2023 geomagnetic storm

The response of thermosphere density to geomagnetic storms is a complicated physical process.Multi-satellite joint observations at the same altitude but different local times(LTs)are important for understanding this process;however,until now such studies have hardly been done.In this report,we analyze in detail the thermosphere mass density response at 510 km during the April 23−24,2023 geomagnetic storm using data derived from the TM-1(TianMu-1)satellite constellation and Swarm-B satellites.The observations show that there were significant LT differences in the hemispheric asymmetry of the thermosphere mass density during the geomagnetic storm.Densities observed by satellite TM02 at nearly 11.3 and 23.3 LTs were larger in the northern hemisphere than in the southern.The TM04 dayside density observations appear to be almost symmetrical with respect to the equator,though southern hemisphere densities on the nightside were higher.Swarm-B data exhibit near-symmetry between the hemispheres.In addition,the mass density ratio results show that TM04 nightside observations,TM02 data,and Swarm-B data all clearly show stronger effects in the southern hemisphere,except for TM04 on the dayside,which suggest hemispheric near-symmetry.The South-North density enhancement differences in TM02 and TM04 on dayside can reach 130%,and Swarm-B data even achieve 180%difference.From the observations of all three satellites,large-scale traveling atmospheric disturbances(TADs)first appear at high latitudes and propagate to low latitudes,thereby disturbing the atmosphere above the equator and even into the opposite hemisphere.NRLMSISE00 model simulations were also performed on this geomagnetic storm.TADs are absent in the NRLMSISE00 simulations.The satellite data suggest that NRLMSISE00 significantly underestimates the magnitude of the density response of the thermosphere during geomagnetic storms,especially at high latitudes in both hemispheres.Therefore,use of the density simulation of NRLMSISE00 may lead to large errors in satellite drag calculations and orbit predictions.We suggest that the high temporal and spatial resolution of direct density observations by the TM-1 constellation satellites can provide an autonomous and reliable basis for correction and improvement of atmospheric models.

Segment routing for traffic engineering and effective recovery in low-earth orbit satellite constellations

Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Constellations(LEO-SCs)provide global,high-speed,and low latency Internet access services,which bridges the digital divide in the remote areas.As inter-satellite links are not supported in initial deployment(i.e.the Starlink),the communication between satellites is based on ground stations with radio frequency signals.Due to the rapid movement of satellites,this hybrid topology of LEO-SCs and ground stations is time-varying,which imposes a major challenge to uninterrupted service provisioning and network management.In this paper,we focus on solving two notable problems in such a ground station-assisted LEO-SC topology,i.e.,traffic engineering and fast reroute,to guarantee that the packets are forwarded in a balanced and uninterrupted manner.Specifically,we employ segment routing to support the arbitrary path routing in LEO-SCs.To solve the traffic engineering problem,we proposed two source routings with traffic splitting algorithms,Delay-Bounded Traffic Splitting(DBTS)and DBTS+,where DBTS equally splits a flow and DBTS+favors shorter paths.Simu-lation results show that DBTS+can achieve about 30%lower maximum satellite load at the cost of about 10%more delay.To guarantee the fast recovery of failures,two fast reroute mechanisms,Loop-Free Alternate(LFA)and LFA+,are studied,where LFA pre-computes an alternate next-hop as a backup while LFA+finds a 2-segment backup path.We show that LFA+can increase the percentage of protection coverage by about 15%.

6G Service Coverage with Mega Satellite Constellations

The rapid development and continuous updating of the mega satellite constellation(MSC)have brought new visions for the future 6G coverage extension, where the global seamless signal coverage can realize ubiquitous services for user terminals. However, global traffic demands present nonuniform characteristics. Therefore, how to ensure the on-demand service coverage for the specific traffic demand, i.e., the ratio of traffic density to service requirement per unit area, is the core issue of 6G wireless coverage extension exploiting the MSC. To this regard, this paper first discusses the open challenges to reveal the future direction of 6G wireless coverage extension from the perspective of key factors affecting service coverage performance, i.e., the network access capacity, space segment capacity and their matchingrelationship. Furthermore, we elaborate on the key factors affecting effective matchings of the aforementioned aspects, thereby improving service coverage capability.

Polar-Coded Modulation Based on the Amplitude Phase Shift Keying Constellations

In this paper, we investigate the polarization effect of the amplitude phase shift keying(APSK) constellations. We find that the polarization effect of the APSK constellations is affected by the bit mapping and the bit loading. Traditionally, the Gray mapping is usually adopted in APSK constellations. Based on the given Gray mapping, we firstly propose the bit interleaved coded modulation polar-APSK(BICM-PA) scheme, which neglects the correlations between the bit levels by using the bit interleaver. In the BICM-PA scheme, a new metric called cumulative Bhattacharyya parameter is introduced to optimize the bit loading of the APSK constellations under the Gray mapping. Second, the multilevel coded modulation polar-APSK(MLCM-PA) is proposed to further improve the performance. A twostage optimization approach is adopted to select the bit mapping and the bit loading in the MLCM-PA scheme. The semi-set partitioning mapping is introduced to achieve a better system performance in the MLCM-PA scheme. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of all the proposed metrics. In addition to this, BICM-PA and MLCM-PA both outperform the coded modulation Turbo-APSK scheme up to 1 dB.

Analysis of the Impact of Large Constellations on the Space Debris Environment and Countermeasures

Large constellations have developed rapidly in recent years because of their unique advantages, but they will inevitably have a major negative impact on the space debris environment, leading to its deterioration. The key to mitigate the impact is the success rate and duration of the post-mission disposal(PMD) process. Aiming at solving this problem, this paper further studies the impact of large constellations on other space assets under different PMD strategies through simulation, and proposes corresponding strategies and suggestions for mitigation.According to One Web’s large constellation launch plan, the dangerous intersection of the large constellation with existing space assets at different stages of the constellations life cycle is calculated by simulation. Based on this, the influence of the large constellation operation on existing space assets at different times and strategies of PMD is analyzed. The conclusion shows that in the PMD stage, large constellations have the greatest impact on existing space assets;the PMD duration and number of satellites performing PMD at the same time are key factors to the degree of negative impact. The faster the PMD is, the less threat it poses to other spacecraft. More results and conclusions are still being analyzed.

New bounds on the mutual information for discrete constellations and application to wireless channel estimation

The lack of closed-form expressions of the mutual information for discrete constellations has limited its uses for analyzing reliable communication over wireless fading channels.In order to address this issue,this paper proposes analytically-tractable lower bounds on the mutual information based on Arithmetic-Mean-Geometric-Mean(AMGM)inequality.The new bounds can apply to a wide range of discrete constellations and reveal some insights into the rate behavior at moderate to high Signal-to-Noise Ratio(SNR)values.The usability of the bounds is further demonstrated to approximate the optimum pilot overhead in stationary fading channels.

SIGNAL CONSTELLATIONS DESIGN FOR DIFFERENTIAL UNITARY SPACE-TIME IN MIMO-OFDM SYSTEM OVER FREQUENCY-SELECTIVE FADING CHANNELS

In this paper, the design of signal constellations parameters is studied for Differential Unitary Space-Time Modulation (DUSTM) based on the design criterion of maximizing the diversity product. Further, noninteger searching method for the signal constellation parameters design is proposed in order to get better codes. Experimental results show that under the different Doppler spread and data transmission rate, the proposed design performs better than the previous design using integer parameters in Multiple Input Multiple Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system over frequency-selective fading channels.

Giorgio Vasari’s Celestial Utopia of Whimsy and Joy:Constellations,Zodiac Signs,and Grotesques

This study elaborates on the decoration of the ceiling in the refectory of the former Monteoliveto monastery in Naples,today part of the church of Sant’Anna dei Lombardi.It consists of three parts:an explanation of the ceiling design with its geometrical configurations of circles,octagons,hexagons,ovals,and squares;an iconographical analysis solely focusing on the ceiling decoration,which consists of grotesques,constellations,and zodiac signs;and a discussion of some of the literary and visual sources employed in the decoration.The Florentine Mannerist painter Giorgio Vasari,aided by several assistants,renovated and painted the ceilings between 1544 and 1545.Don Giammateo d’Anversa,the Abbot General of the Monteolivetan Order in Naples,composed the iconographical program with the assistance of insightful suggestions from the Florentine Monteolivetan prior Don Miniato Pitti,who was Vasari’s patron and friend as well.This oversight inspired Vasari to paint a celestial utopia of hilarity and whimsicality on the Neapolitan ceiling,thus leavening the other imagery,which combined both religious and secular representations of moral virtues and divine laws.

Conceptual Design Process for LEO Satellite Constellations Based on System Engineering Disciplines

Satellite design process is an interdisciplinary subject in which the need for collaboration among various science and engineering disciplines is evident.Meanwhile,finding an optimal process for conceptual design of a satellite,which can optimize time and cost,is still an important issue.In this paper,based on system engineering approach,an optimal design process is proposed for LEO satellite constellations.In the proposed method,design process,design sequences,and data flow are established.In this regard,the conceptual design process is divided into two levels of mission(or constellation)and system(or satellite)as well as 15 main activities based on the mission profile,previous experiences of the authors,and existing literature.Then,the relationships between these activities have been determined by considering the importance of relationships according to their priority.Finally,these relations are optimized based on design structure matrix(DSM).By utilizing this approach,system design process of a telecommunication satellite constellation in LEO is formulated in conceptual design phase.Performance and capability of the proposed approach in optimal design process of the satellite constellation are investigated by comparing the outcome with existing results in the literature.

Cooperative DVB-SH Satellite Broadcasting Systems with Rotated Signal Constellations

In this paper,we study the advantages of cooperation in broadcasting systems from a geosynchronous earth orbit(GEO)satellite to mobile terminals(MTs),achieved through a terrestrial complementary ground station(CGS) with fixed installment,which acts as a relay.Moreover and in the context of the digital video broadcasting-satellite-to-handheld(DVB-SH) standard,the performance improvements offered by the rotated constellations method are investigated,where prior transmission,a phase rotation of the transmitted symbols by a fixed angle is applied followed by a random component interleaver.Turbo codes with soft decision decoding and appropriate random channel interleavers are also considered.We present analytical expressions for the bit log-likelihood ratios(LLRs)that are needed for soft decision decoding at the MT turbo decoder,while the code combining technique is adapted to improve the end-to-end(E2E) performance.Then,we obtain through extensive computer simulations the average bit error probability(ABEP) of quadrature phase-shift keying(QPSK) signals received over pure land-mobile satellite(LMS)and pure CGS links for coding rates 1/3 and6/7.Moreover,the optimal rotation angles are obtained for both links.E2 E ABEP results are then presented assuming cooperation between GEO and CGS,while the power allocation issue is investigated under fixed total transmission power.Our performance evaluation results show that by using the constellation rotation technique,a performance gain can be achieved for high coding rates.

Four-Dimensional Signal Constellations Based on Binary Frequency-Shift Keying and <i>M</i>-ary Amplitude-Phase-Shift Keying

In this article, we give the construction of new four-dimensional signal constellations in the Euclidean space, which represent a certain combination of binary frequency-shift keying (BFSK) and M-ary amplitude-phase-shift keying (MAPSK). Description of such signals and the formulas for calculating the minimum squared Euclidean distance are presented. We have developed an analytic building method for even and odd values of M. Hence, no computer search and no heuristic methods are required. The new optimized BFSK-MAPSK (M = 5,6,···,16) signal constructions are built for the values of modulation indexes h =0.1,0.15,···,0.5 and their parameters are given. The results of computer simulations are also provided. Based on the obtained results we can conclude, that BFSK-MAPSK systems outperform similar four-dimensional systems both in terms of minimum squared Euclidean distance and simulated symbol error rate.

A compass time-space model-based virtual IP routing scheme for NTSN satellite constellations

Recently,Non-Terrestrial Satellite Networks(NTSTs)have gained more and more attentions due to global coverage,low latency,and high-speed communications.The routing scheme is one of the primary challenges for NTSNs,due to the mega scale of an NTSN constellation and the dynamic topology feature.To solve many pressing problems,a Compass time-space Model-based Virtual IP(CMVIP)routing scheme is proposed in this paper.In order to compensate for discontinuities in existing topology models,a compass-shaped time-space model is proposed.It can be adapted with Inter-Satellite-Link(ISL)and Ground-Satellite-Link(GSL)transmissions.A distributed algorithm with multiple optimization objectives and multiple constraints is applied for routing path discovery.To more realistically verify the specific scheme,a traffic model that supports two different services is proposed.Access and bearer services are the two main applications of an NTSN.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves superior Qualityof-Service(QoS)performance.In addition,comparison results demonstrate that the CMVIP routing scheme is superior to the Virtual-Topology-based Shortest Path(VT-SP)routing algorithm.

Improving the spaceborne GNSS-R altimetric precision based on the novel multilayer feedforward neural network weighted joint prediction model

Global navigation satellite system-reflection(GNSS-R)sea surface altimetry based on satellite constellation platforms has become a new research direction and inevitable trend,which can meet the altimetric precision at the global scale required for underwater navigation.At present,there are still research gaps for GNSS-R altimetry under this mode,and its altimetric capability cannot be specifically assessed.Therefore,GNSS-R satellite constellations that meet the global altimetry needs to be designed.Meanwhile,the matching precision prediction model needs to be established to quantitatively predict the GNSS-R constellation altimetric capability.Firstly,the GNSS-R constellations altimetric precision under different configuration parameters is calculated,and the mechanism of the influence of orbital altitude,orbital inclination,number of satellites and simulation period on the precision is analyzed,and a new multilayer feedforward neural network weighted joint prediction model is established.Secondly,the fit of the prediction model is verified and the performance capability of the model is tested by calculating the R2 value of the model as 0.9972 and the root mean square error(RMSE)as 0.0022,which indicates that the prediction capability of the model is excellent.Finally,using the novel multilayer feedforward neural network weighted joint prediction model,and considering the research results and realistic costs,it is proposed that when the constellation is set to an orbital altitude of 500 km,orbital inclination of 75and the number of satellites is 6,the altimetry precision can reach 0.0732 m within one year simulation period,which can meet the requirements of underwater navigation precision,and thus can provide a reference basis for subsequent research on spaceborne GNSS-R sea surface altimetry.

Influence of topography on the fine structures of stratospheric gravity waves:An analysis using COSMIC-2 temperature data

We derive the potential energy of gravity waves(GWs)in the upper troposphere and stratosphere at 45°S-45°N from December 2019 to November 2022 by using temperature profiles retrieved from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology,Ionosphere,and Climate-2(COSMIC-2)satellite.Owing to the dense sampling of COSMIC-2,in addition to the strong peaks of gravity wave potential energy(GWPE)above the Andes and Tibetan Plateau,we found weak peaks above the Rocky,Atlas,Caucasus,and Tianshan Mountains.The land-sea contrast is responsible for the longitudinal variations of the GWPE in the lower and upper stratosphere.At 40°N/S,the peaks were mainly above the topographic regions during the winter.At 20°N/S,the peaks were a slight distance away from the topographic regions and might be the combined effect of nontopographic GWs and mountain waves.Near the Equator,the peaks were mainly above the regions with the lowest sea level altitude and may have resulted from convection.Our results indicate that even above the local regions with lower sea level altitudes compared with the Andes and Tibetan Plateau,the GWPE also exhibits fine structures in geographic distributions.We found that dissipation layers above the tropopause jet provide the body force to generate secondary waves in the upper stratosphere,especially during the winter months of each hemisphere and at latitudes of greater than 20°N/S.

Investigation on performance of special-shaped 8-quadrature amplitude modulation constellations applied in visible light communication

Light-emitting diode(LED)-based visible light communication(VLC) has become a potential candidate for nextgeneration ultra-high-speed indoor wireless communication. In this paper, four special-shaped 8-quadrature amplitude modulation(QAM) constellations are investigated in a single-carrier VLC system. It is numerically verified and experimentally demonstrated that circular(7,1) shows obvious superiority in the performance of the dynamic range of signal voltage peak-to-peak(vpp) value and bit error rate(BER). Next best is rectangular, followed by triangular; circular(4,4) has the worst performance. A data rate of 1.515 Gbit/s is successfully achieved by circular(7,1) employing a red chip LED over 0.5 m indoor free space transmission below a BER threshold of3.8 × 10^(-3). Compared with circular(4,4), the traditional 8-QAM constellation, circular(7,1) provides a wider dynamic range of signal vpp, a higher data rate, and a longer transmission distance. To the best of our knowledge,this is the first investigation into the performance differences of special-shaped 8-QAM constellations in a highspeed, single-carrier VLC system, and the results comprehensively demonstrate that circular(7,1) is the optimal option.

How ancient Chinese constellations are applied in the city planning?An example on the planning principles employed in Xianyang,the capital city of Qin Dynasty

As the first empire of imperial China,the Qin Dynasty is a crucial period for the establishment of China’s territory,nationality,political system and academic thoughts[1].The planning and construction history of Xianyang,the capital city of the Qin,can be dated from the 12th year of the King of Qin Dynasty,Qinxiaogong(350 BC)to the death of the Second Emperor of Qin(206 BC)spanning a total of144 years.During that time,Xianyang was

Reinforcement Learning-Based Handover Strategy for Space-Ground Integration Network with Large-scale Constellations

The space-ground integration network(SGIN)with large-scale constellations has become an important topic of the next generation mobile communication technology,in which the handover technology between the satellite and the ground is the key technology to ensure the continuity of user service.However,compared with the ground base station’s coverage of users,satellites have larger coverage and propagation delay,and large-scale constellations make multiple selectable service satellites above the same user.These phenomena bring great challenges to the handover algorithm.This paper designs a reinforcement learning-based multi-attribute satellite-ground handover strategy(RLMSGHS)for SGIN with large-scale constellations.Firstly,users are clustered with the attributes of location,speed,and bandwidth demand.Then,the handover decision can be made based on the proposed RLMSGHS according to the attributes of received signal strength(RSS),speed,network bandwidth utilization and,handover cost.Finally,the simulation results demonstrate that the heavy decision-making burden caused by the large-scale growth of users in the SGIN is significantly reduced.The multi-attribute handover decision in the SGIN is realized,which reduces the handover demand of users and improves the resource utilization rate of the SGIN.

A Parallel Discrete Event Simulation Engine for the Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite Constellation Networks

Low-Earth-Orbit satellite constellation networks(LEO-SCN)can provide low-cost,largescale,flexible coverage wireless communication services.High dynamics and large topological sizes characterize LEO-SCN.Protocol development and application testing of LEO-SCN are challenging to carry out in a natural environment.Simulation platforms are a more effective means of technology demonstration.Currently available simulators have a single function and limited simulation scale.There needs to be a simulator for full-featured simulation.In this paper,we apply the parallel discrete-event simulation technique to the simulation of LEO-SCN to support large-scale complex system simulation at the packet level.To solve the problem that single-process programs cannot cope with complex simulations containing numerous entities,we propose a parallel mechanism and algorithms LP-NM and LP-YAWNS for synchronization.In the experiment,we use ns-3 to verify the acceleration ratio and efficiency of the above algorithms.The results show that our proposed mechanism can provide parallel simulation engine support for the LEO-SCN.

Progress of Radiation Belt Exploration by a Constellation of Small Satellites TGCSS/SGRB, COSPAR

A COnstellation of Radiation BElt Survey(CORBES)program is proposed by the Sub-Group on Radiation Belt(SGRB)of TGCSS,COSPAR.To address the open qustions about the dynamics of the Earth’s radiation belt,CORBES mission would use a constellation of small/CubeSats to take an ultra-fast survey of the Earth’s radiation belt.The concept,science objectives and preliminary technical design of CORBES are introduced.This mission is an international multilateral cooperation mission coordinated by COSPAR.The SGRB Science Activities and COSPAR HQs Coordinate Activities on CORBES are summaried.

Dynamic access task scheduling of LEO constellation based on space-based distributed computing

A dynamic multi-beam resource allocation algorithm for large low Earth orbit(LEO)constellation based on on-board distributed computing is proposed in this paper.The allocation is a combinatorial optimization process under a series of complex constraints,which is important for enhancing the matching between resources and requirements.A complex algorithm is not available because that the LEO on-board resources is limi-ted.The proposed genetic algorithm(GA)based on two-dimen-sional individual model and uncorrelated single paternal inheri-tance method is designed to support distributed computation to enhance the feasibility of on-board application.A distributed system composed of eight embedded devices is built to verify the algorithm.A typical scenario is built in the system to evalu-ate the resource allocation process,algorithm mathematical model,trigger strategy,and distributed computation architec-ture.According to the simulation and measurement results,the proposed algorithm can provide an allocation result for more than 1500 tasks in 14 s and the success rate is more than 91%in a typical scene.The response time is decreased by 40%com-pared with the conditional GA.