The present teachings include a method and computing apparatus for triggering synchronization of a satellite modem to a carrier frequency of a beam of a satellite, retrieving ephemeris information for the satellite and beam configuration information for the beam, calculating a velocity of the satellite per the ephemeris information, and adjusting the carrier frequency of the satellite modem when communicating via the beam to compensate for a doppler offset induced in the carrier frequency by the velocity. In the method, the satellite has a satellite type selected from a Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) or Low Earth Orbit (LEO) type of satellite, and the satellite type is different than a satellite type of an immediately preceding synchronization.

Methods and techniques are described for supporting satellite wireless by a user equipment (UE) using satellite acquisition information. A UE may obtain (e.g., from an AMF or gNB) acquisition information for satellite cells supporting access to a PLMN. The UE may enter an inactive state with no radio access, may later leave the inactive state, find a preferred satellite cell based on the acquisition information and access the satellite cell (e.g., camp on the cell or connect to the PLMN using the cell). The acquisition information may indicate satellite cells available at one or more predefined times for a known location of the UE or may enable a satellite cell to be found for any UE location at any time. The acquisition information may also provide timing, frequency and other information to enable a UE to access a satellite cell with reduced latency and reduced power consumption.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for satellite operations with secure enclave for secure inband hosted payload operations are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, a method for payload operations comprises receiving, by a vehicle, host commands from a satellite operation portion of a host spacecraft operations center (SOC). The method further comprises reconfiguring a payload and at least bus component on the vehicle according to the host commands. Also, the method comprises transmitting, by the vehicle, host telemetry to the satellite operation portion of the host SOC. In addition, the method comprises receiving, by the vehicle, hosted commands from a secure enclave of the host SOC. Additionally, the method comprises reconfiguring the payload on the vehicle according to the hosted commands. Further, the method comprises transmitting, by a payload antenna on the vehicle, host payload data, hosted payload data, and the encrypted hosted telemetry to the secure enclave.

Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.

In one implementation, a communications satellite includes a main antenna system and a communications controller. The main antenna system is configured to send communications to and receive communications from one or more terrestrial terminal devices. The communications controller has a memory storing a plurality of terminal attribute sets, each of which specifies attributes for communicating with a corresponding class of terrestrial terminal devices. The communications controller is configured to receive a terminal class identifier from an active terrestrial terminal device, identify, from among the stored terminal attribute sets, a particular terminal attribute set as corresponding to the terminal class identifier received from the active terrestrial terminal device, and control the communications satellite to communicate with the active terrestrial terminal device according to the attributes for communicating specified in the particular terminal attribute set identified as corresponding to the terminal class identifier received from the active terrestrial terminal device.

Devices, methods, and systems for uplink synchronization in time division multiple access (TDMA) satellite network. In one embodiment, an earth-based satellite terminal is configured to communicate with a satellite hub through a satellite using the TDMA communication protocol. The earth-based satellite terminal is configured to determine its own location, a location of the satellite, estimate a distance between the location of the terminal and the location of the satellite, determine a Coarse Timing Advance based on the distance that is estimated, and transmit data to the satellite based on the Coarse Timing Advance and the TDMA communication protocol. The Coarse Timing Advance may allow uplink TDMA communication without a preamble transmission on a random access channel, the preamble transmission being required in many conventional systems.

A system, apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium for accurately and efficiently determining communication offsets between at least one user equipment (UE) device and at least one non-terrestrial network (NTN) device may include a UE device including: a memory storing computer readable instructions and at least one processor configured to, determine location information of the UE device; receive group information from a NTN device, the group information including a plurality of group IDs corresponding to a plurality of group coverage areas within a beam coverage area, each of the plurality of group IDs including location information of a corresponding reference point, and group offset information associated with the corresponding reference point; select a group ID from the plurality of group IDs based on the location information of the UE device and the plurality of reference points; and perform UL transmission based on the group offset information.

A system and method for transmitting a data stream between a server and a user terminal, comprises at least one satellite gateway associated with a satellite router communicating with at least one satellite terminal associated with a terminal router, wherein the terminal router is configured, when it receives a stream request from a user terminal, to search for it in its memory resources and, if appropriate, transmit it to the user terminal, the satellite router is configured to transmit the request to the server, estimate a popularity of the stream and transmit a message of correspondence between the stream and broadcasting parameters then convert the stream into a point-to-multipoint stream adapted to the broadcasting parameters, the terminal router is configured to convert point-to-multipoint streams into point-to-point streams and transmit them to the user terminals.

Methods and systems are described for providing end-to-end beamforming. For example, end-to-end beamforming systems include end-to-end relays and ground networks to provide communications to user terminals located in user beam coverage areas. The ground segment can include geographically distributed access nodes and a central processing system. Return uplink signals, transmitted from the user terminals, have multipath induced by a plurality of receive/transmit signal paths in the end to end relay and are relayed to the ground network. The ground network, using beamformers, recovers user data streams transmitted by the user terminals from return downlink signals. The ground network, using beamformers generates forward uplink signals from appropriately weighted combinations of user data streams that, after relay by the end-end-end relay, produce forward downlink signals that combine to form user beams.

It is described a device for measuring the interference level of VSAT TDMA terminals, the terminals (13) communicating with a hub station (14) via a satellite (11). The device includes a forward link receiver (21) adapted to receive signals transmitted from the hub station (14) to the terminals (13) via said satellite (11), said receiver being capable of demodulating, decoding and analysing signalling information present in the forward link, including burst time plan, and terminal ID, a return link receiver (22) adapted to receive, demodulate and decode signals transmitted from each terminal (13) to the hub station (14) via said satellite (11) with extraction of the unique terminal network ID, an interfered link receiver (23) adapted to measure received interfering burst power in a link where interference occurs, said receiver being configured and synchronized with the burst time plan found from the forward link or decoded bursts from the return link receiver, performing interfered burst power measurements using power averaging or correlation techniques, and a controller (24) adapted to control and synchronize the receivers, analyse and correlate information received from the receivers to achieve synchronisation between the operational and interfered links(21, 22, 23) and report the power level of the interfering bursts for each terminal ID. Methods for operating the device are also described.