The Dense Sky: Evaluating System Coexistence of New NGSO Satellite Constellations in the Ka Band

2021 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps), pp. 1–6

Abstract

Non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) satellite constellations in the Ka band promise high-throughput broadband access. However, the rising number of planned constellations raises questions of how these affect each other in terms of interference and how system coexistence can be achieved in the shared frequency band. We analyse the impact of inter-system interference and the effectiveness of interference mitigation techniques in the Ka band in relation to system coexistence. Using public data available from the FCC, we model the different satellite positions of fifteen constellations with up to 45,000 satellites with antenna parameters of real constellations. Our results in terms of link throughput and throughput degradation show that traditional interference mitigation techniques, such as look-aside, fail to provide sufficient protection from other constellations. Furthermore, we observe that the effectiveness of channelisation quickly diminishes when more spectrum bandwidth is used. Thus, our study suggests that the large number of satellite constellation operators will require more extensive coordination in order to ensure system coexistence in the shared Ka band.

Authors 4

1. Jonas Suilmann Aachen Institute for Networked Systems (INETS)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Networked Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

2. Andra M. Voicu Aachen Institute for Networked Systems (INETS)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Networked Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

3. Ljiljana Simić Aachen Institute for Networked Systems (INETS)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Networked Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

4. Petri Mähönen Aachen Institute for Networked Systems (INETS)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Networked Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany