Analytical Modeling Framework and Applications for Space Communication Networks

Abstract

There is a growing number of resource-constrained small satellites that are currently performing and are proposed to accomplish novel science and technology missions. These missions seek to download large quantities of data to ground-station networks that currently have limited ability to support these missions. This limitation motivates the development of modeling and simulation tools to assess and optimize these mission scenarios. In this paper, we develop an extensible, analytical modeling framework for satellite operations. This framework captures dynamic states, subsystem functions, and interactions of the satellite with the external environment and ground-communication networks. This foundational framework enables assessment and optimization of complex space and ground networks under both deterministic and stochastic conditions. We apply this framework to develop a communication-focused model for an operational satellite mission. We implement the analytical model in a simulation environment and use realistic data from the surveyed small-satellite and ground-station community to assess the impact of satellite and network parameters on the potential for communication. Our simulations compare satellite downlink requirements and objectives with the constraint-based communication potential of diverse missions and ground networks. These results identify deficient and excess capabilities and motivate the need for optimal scheduling algorithms.