A Space-Interconnection Algorithm for Satellite Constellation Based on Spatial Grid Model

Abstract

With the rapid development of large-scale satellite constellations and the increasing demand for rapid communication and emergency rescue using global satellite-based Internet, there have been new requirements for efficient algorithms for inter-communication between satellites. As the constellations of low-orbit satellites become larger, the complexities of real-time inter-satellite calculation and path planning are becoming more complicated and are increasing geometrically. To address the bottlenecks in large-scale node space computing, we introduced a global space grid. Based on this grid, an efficient calculation method of spatial inter-connection between satellite constellations is proposed, according to the concept of “storage for computing” and the high computational efficiency of the spatial grid model. This strategy includes the following parts: (1) the introduction of the GeoSOT-3D global grid model into aerospace and the construction of the aerospace grid indexing BigTable; (2) a set of algorithms for satellite visibility analysis according to the visible grid look-up table and the secondary grid index; and (3) planning inter-satellite routing by querying the grid’s inherent visibility. The idea at the basis of this method is to employ the “space for time” concept to convert the high-dimensional floating operations into one-dimensional matching operations by querying the inherent “visible” attribute of the grid. In our study, we simulated thousands of satellites, discretized their trajectories into grids, and pre-calculated the visibility between grid cells to plan the routing path for the ground data transmission. The theoretical analysis and experimental verification show that the algorithm is feasible and efficient, and it can significantly improve the computational efficiency of inter-satellite connection. We hope that the method can be used in emergency communications, disaster warning, and maritime rescue, and can contribute to the next generation of satellite internet and “satellite-ground” integrated networks.