Browsing by Author "Morea, Albert"

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    Enhancing 5G global connectivity via satellite constellations: preliminary sizing of phased array antennas using a heuristic solver with genetic algorithms
    (International Astronautical Federation (IAF), 2023-10-06) Koenig, Anton; Morea, Albert; Capell, Elliot; Vargas Avila, Gerardo; Garzaniti, Nicola
    Satellite 5G connectivity to handheld devices is a critical technology that has significant benefits in various areas, such as remote healthcare, emergency response, and global connectivity. Achieving this requires state-of-the-art satellite constellations that can provide high-speed, reliable, and low-latency connections. Phased array antennas are a key component of these constellations, providing directional, high-gain signals, and beamforming capabilities to enable the delivery of high-speed and reliable data transfer. In this paper, we propose an approach to preliminary sizing of phased array antennas for 5G satellite connectivity accounting for stakeholders’ requirements and use cases constraints. To optimize the configuration of phased array antennas, we explore the tradespace of feasible design configurations using a heuristic solver approach leveraging genetic algorithms. The tradespace exploration has been constrained with link budget limit, launcher mass and volume, launch capacity, and minimum system performance. Building on this information, the solver identifies the near-optimal configurations that meet design specifications while maximizing satellite throughput. The results stemming from the application of the method and related tool, demonstrate the potential of our approach to build systems that deliver high-speed and reliable connectivity to handheld devices from space, enabling remote healthcare, emergency response, and global connectivity. Overall, this paper presents a novel and efficient approach to optimizing the configuration of phased array antennas for satellite 5G connectivity, and our findings offer opportunities to enhance the design and performance of satellite constellations by quickly converging to a preliminary sizing of a viable option eventually refined in later stages of design and development of the spacecraft system.
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    System design study of a constellation of small spacecraft to deliver seamless 5G connectivity to unmodified cell phones through an end-to-end non-terrestrial network
    (International Astronautical Federation (IAF), 2023-10-06) Vargas Avila, Gerardo; Anastasopoulos, Marios; Liao, Zuliang; Morea, Albert; Capell, Elliot; Koenig, Anton; López Buqué, Iñigo; Ravishankar, Sreekrishna; Ruiz, Diego Larrauri; Cordova, Asis; Haynez, Guillaume; Kommareddy, Sai Tejaswi; Garzaniti, Nicola
    The increasing demand for high-speed mobile data services has led to the development of 5G and 6G technology, which promises to revolutionize the way people access and use the internet. However, the full exploitation of 5G network potential is often limited by the challenges related to the deployment of the physical infrastructure required to support these networks. In order to address these limitations, a new approach is needed to bring 5G services to areas that are currently underserved. This paper presents the results of a system design study that explores the use of a constellation of small spacecraft to deliver seam-less 5G connectivity to unmodified cell phones, through an endto-end non-terrestrial network. Within the study, several use cases have been considered including offering enhanced service to cities and connecting areas not served by traditional mobile services such as remote regions, ships and offshore platforms, regions hit by natural disasters and contested battlefields. A trade space exploration approach was undertaken to identify the optimal solution for meeting stakeholders’ requirements associated with the different use cases. The analysis explores the effects of key architectural decisions on overall system performance and lifecycle cost, benchmarking them against foreseen customers’ needs and market demand. A variety of alternatives were evaluated including the number of satellites, types of orbits, number of orbital planes, satellite size, weight and power, antenna technologies, inter-satellite links technologies and routing schemes among others. As a result, it was proposed the use of a constellation of about 3000 satellites in a sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO) orbit, with a satellite lifetime of 5 years. Each satellite is equipped with a phased array antenna in 5G non-terrestrial band frequency n256 for direct connectivity to unmodified user cell phones and free space optical telecommunication terminals for on-orbit backhauling. Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components for spacecraft subsystems and sensors were considered when available. With more than 95% of Earth coverage and high system scalability, the mission represents a promising solution for providing global 5G connectivity paving the way for a more connected world.