A satellite communication system which provides interference mitigation across multiple constellations. The satellite communication system provides interference mitigation when an in-line event occurs where a main lobe of a satellite of the first constellation and a main lobe of a user terminal communicating with the satellite of the second satellite constellation intersect sufficiently to cause significant interference on a common frequency band of the satellite and the user terminal.

Systems and method for supporting a fractionated satellite constellation are disclosed. A gateway satellite may route communications to and from auxiliary satellites using a first communication protocol. The auxiliary satellites may be orbitally-coupled with the gateway satellite and may be equipped with respective payload types that provide respective functionalities. The auxiliary satellites may also use respective communications protocols that are different than one another and the first communication protocol. Routing communications to and from auxiliary satellites may include relaying a communication between multiple auxiliary satellites. Routing communications between auxiliary satellites may include relaying a communication between multiple gateway satellites. Routing communications to and from auxiliary satellites may also include relaying communications between commercial satellites and auxillary satellites.

A space-based communications network (100) includes at least one central ground station (116) having a transceiver that is configured to communicate with satellites, such as cube satellites (110). The cube satellites (110) form an ad hoc network of orbital cube satellites, in which each of the cube satellites (110) communicate with each other. One of the cube satellites communicates with the ground station (116). A ground-based control system (1000) communicates with the central ground station (116). The control system (1000) continuously determines a configuration of the ad hoc network (100) and communicates network control information for the cube satellites (110) to maintain communications in the ad hoc network (100). The cube satellites (110) disseminate the network control to each other via the ad hoc network (100).

A method for configuring a communication network, including obtaining information indicative of current status of nodes of the communication network, links between said nodes of the communication network or a combination thereof; processing the information to determine a network configuration based on the obtained information, the network configuration implementable in the communication network by adjusting one or more of said nodes, one of more of said links between said node, or a combination thereof, wherein said processing comprises evaluating at least the network configuration based on a connectivity metric indicative of an extent to which said nodes are interconnected via said links; and providing instructions directing one or more underlying resources to implement the network configuration. A device including a network interface, a processor, and a non-transient computer readable memory having stored instructions which when executed by the processor configure the device to execute the methods disclosed herein.

A routing method and apparatus for SDN-based LEO satellite network are disclosed. The LEO satellite network includes a control plane and a data plane. The control plane includes a central controller and a plurality of local controllers. The data plane includes a plurality of LEO satellite nodes and user terminals connecting to the LEO satellite nodes. The control plane may be located on the earth, and thus the centralized management and control of the data plane are placed on the earth. A local controllers monitors LEO satellite nodes in a subnet or subnets of the local controller. The distance between a local controller and a LEO satellite node is much smaller than the distance between a GEO satellite node and the LEO satellite node, and thus the time delay and the traffic loss of communication are reduced.

A satellite includes a satellite control system, an antenna connected to the satellite control system, a memory device, a computing environment configured on the satellite. The satellite can be part of a cluster of satellites that are dynamically organized from a larger group of satellites based on one or more of scheduled workload, a movement of the larger group of satellites, thermal issues, reset or reboot issues, energy issues and capabilities of individual satellites to provide access to compute resources on the cluster of satellites such as cloud-services or data. Requests for compute resources can be routed to the proper satellite in the dynamically-changing cluster of satellites to provide data associated with the compute resources or access to functions associated with the compute resources such as stock, bond, or cryptocurrency trading functions. The cluster of satellites can be periodically updated to provide continued service or availability of the compute resources.

Satellites may be integrated into a provider network for cloud-based services by utilizing a satellite-deployable computing device to execute one or more cloud services that are accessible by client devices of the provider network via respective associated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). In some embodiments, the satellite-deployable computing device may process payload data of the satellite in accordance with one or more cloud-based services indicated in control instructions originating from a client device of the provider network. In some embodiments, the processed data may be transmitted to a ground station in accordance with one or more cloud-based services.

Various approaches for the deployment and use of communication exclusion zones, defined for use with a satellite non-terrestrial network (including within a low-earth orbit satellite constellation), are discussed. In an example, defining and implementing a non-terrestrial communication exclusion zone includes: calculating based on a future orbital position of a low-earth orbit satellite vehicle, an exclusion condition for communications from the satellite vehicle; identifying, based on the exclusion condition and the future orbital position, a timing for implementing the exclusion condition for the communications from the satellite vehicle; and generating exclusion zone data for use by the satellite vehicle, the exclusion zone data indicating the timing for implementing the exclusion condition for the communications from the satellite vehicle.

A method for configuring a communication network, including obtaining information indicative of current status of nodes of the communication network, links between said nodes of the communication network or a combination thereof; processing the information to determine a network configuration based on the obtained information, the network configuration implementable in the communication network by adjusting one or more of said nodes, one of more of said links between said node, or a combination thereof, wherein said processing comprises evaluating at least the network configuration based on a connectivity metric indicative of an extent to which said nodes are interconnected via said links; and providing instructions directing one or more underlying resources to implement the network configuration. A device including a network interface, a processor, and a non-transient computer readable memory having stored instructions which when executed by the processor configure the device to execute the methods disclosed herein.

Methods, systems, and devices for communication operations are described. A first satellite may be in a first orbit, and a set of second satellites may be in second orbits that are lower than the first orbit. The second satellites may detect signal components of a signal originating from a geographic area and relay the respective signal components to the first satellite. A beamformer coupled with the first satellite may form a beam associated with the geographic area. The beamformer may also obtain a beam signal based on he respective signal components and a return channel, where the return channel includes at least a channel component between the geographic area and the set of second satellites.