Mobile Satellite Communication Systems Research Articles

Efficient and quantum‐secure authenticated key exchange scheme for mobile satellite communication networks

SummaryThe mobile satellite communication (MSC) system is a vital communication method in which mobile users and network control centers connect via satellites. Since the satellite's communication is wireless, communication security is a critical factor to ensure accountable communication. Key exchange and authentication (KEA) mechanism is widely used to achieve data security for data transmitted in an insecure or open channel. Different authentication systems are suggested in the last many years to establish safe communication, whereas most existing security protocols are based on factorization or discrete logarithm. However, these systems are no longer reliable by Shor's algorithm as any discrete logarithm and factorization can be resolved in polynomial time on quantum computers. Thus, developing a quantum secure KEA protocol for MSC systems is necessary. In this direction, recently a ring learning with an error‐based KEA technique is proposed to ensure a quantum‐safe environment. This scheme is quantum‐safe and satisfies desirable security attributes but has low efficiency in computation and communication. Moreover, establishing a secure session requires six communications among involved entities. As a result, replay attack detection at an early stage is not possible for the central authority (server), which could delay the server response, and the adversary gets the advantage of drawing a denial of service scenario for authorized entities. We propose a lattice‐based KEA protocol for the MSC system to improve computation, communication efficiency, and early‐stage replay attack detection. The security analysis of the proposed scheme is presented in the random oracle model. Calculation of performance is also presented to observe advantages in computation and communication overhead.

Cryptanalysis with improvement on lattice‐based authenticated key exchange protocol for mobile satellite communication networks

SummaryThe mobile satellite communication (MSC) system represents a crucial means of communication, facilitating connections between mobile users and network control centres through satellites. Given the wireless nature of satellite communication, ensuring communication security is paramount for maintaining accountability. Key exchange and authentication (KEA) mechanisms are commonly employed to secure data transmitted over insecure or open channels. Developing a lattice‐based KEA protocol for MSC systems is imperative to achieve both quantum security and efficient communication. In this direction, Yadav et al. devised ring learning with an error‐based KEA technique to ensure a quantum‐safe environment. Their scheme is quantum‐safe and satisfies desirable security attributes but has low efficiency in computation. Moreover, we have identified that their scheme is susceptible to denial of service attack and session key established at user and NCC ends is different. To overcome the flaws of Yadav et al., we propose a lattice‐based KEA protocol for the MSC system to improve computation efficiency, and get resistance against key mismatch attack. The security analysis of the proposed scheme is presented in the random oracle model. Comparative study is also presented to observe advantages in computation efficiency.

Cyber-Physical Attack Using High Power RF in Havana, Cuba

Abstract: Global communications have relied heavily on fiber-optic cables. Satellite communications have become the norm for areas that are not highly populated or easily reached by conventional wires. The availability and use of satellite communications systems have had a limited market; with this limitation, the need for open development of each vendor's software never gained traction. This led to weaknesses not being discovered until a flaw was made public in a systems breach that affected the end users. Wireless communications that rely on microwaves lead to the use of malware to provide an override to normal operations of the equipment. As the issue of Stuxnet would allow for the override of the safety settings of satellite terminals, the malware could even be deployed remotely through a system update. The weaponization of such systems is now a point of concern. Previous studies have shown that naval satellite communications systems can be a weapon by removing the software power limitations McKay, R. W 2021 [15]. As satellite systems on ships can be larger due to being fixed, transmission power generation may be more significant. This study considers the land-based mobile systems deployed against any target and quickly dismantled and removed. Can land-based mobile satellite communication systems affected by Stuxnet or manually altered yield the same power output, and at what range will it affect human tissue? This is believed to be the case with the ongoing investigation. The survey results showed that mobile equipment could be dangerous to human tissue at distances easily achieved by mobile terminals, especially if the target is a fixed location like a building with large glass windows that R.F. power can penetrate easily

Dual Location Area Based Distributed Location Management for Hybrid LEO/MEO Mega Satellite Networks

Location management is the basis for ensuring service continuity in low earth orbit (LEO) satellite mobile communication systems. The dual mobility of LEO satellites and mobile users triggers frequent location update procedures, which will increase the network location management overhead and bring great challenges to network location management, especially in the mega satellite networks. In this paper, we propose a location management technology solution for mega satellite networks, including location management architecture, location area design, location update, and paging procedures. A medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite-assisted location management architecture is proposed to improve the efficiency of location management. It extends the location management control plane from the ground to space and adopts a distributed location management mechanism. A dual location area, including the satellite location area and user location area, is designed to balance the network location update and paging overhead. Based on the dual location area, we systematically design low-overhead location update and paging procedures. Simulation results have verified that the proposed location management technology solution can reduce the total location management overhead and delay by at least 45.8% and 20.8%, respectively.

Physical Layer Security in Interference Limited Land Mobile Satellite Communication Systems: Safeguarding Data Transmission

This paper focuses on evaluating the secrecy performance of a downlink land mobile satellite (LMS) system. The system faces the challenge of providing secure communication between a satellite and a legitimate user while an eavesdropper is present on the ground. Additionally, co-channel interference signals at the user's destination are considered. To address these issues, the study proposes a novel approach that utilizes Shadowed-Rician fading channels for satellite links and Nakagami-m fading for interfering terrestrial links. The main objective is to enhance the physical layer security of Interference-Limited Land Mobile Satellite Communication Systems. The approach incorporates advanced signal processing, beamforming, and artificial noise techniques to effectively manage interference. Encryption, authentication mechanisms, and intelligent power control strategies are implemented to protect transmitted data and optimize signal strength while reducing the risk of interception by potential eavesdroppers. Through comprehensive simulations, the proposed approach is thoroughly evaluated, demonstrating its effectiveness in achieving improved secrecy performance and increased resilience against security threats. The findings highlight the potential for its application in secure satellite communication systems operating in interference-constrained environments.

Physical random access signal design for 5G mobile satellite communication systems

In view of the distinctive characteristics of satellite communication, the physical random access signals used in the terrestrial mobile communication system have to be modified or redesigned for the satellite communication system. In this paper, we boost the random access signal energy by repeating the short Zadoff–Chu (ZC) sequence based preamble signal used in the terrestrial system. Different long ZC sequences are used to scramble this cascaded sequence to distinguish different random access signals for multiple random access user equipments. For correlation performance optimization, properties of the roots for both the short and long ZC sequences are mathematically analyzed and derived. Finally, we illustrate how to construct a root set for these different long ZC sequences based on the obtained propositions in a practical way. This analytical framework provides a useful insight into ZC sequence-based random access signal design and performance analysis in mobile satellite communication systems.

Corporate Environmental Governance Performance Evaluation and Index System Construction under the Mobile Communication System

As environmental pollution has become more and more serious, in order to alleviate environmental and energy problems, people have begun to find new ways of governance in environmental management. Many countries have proposed to incorporate environmental performance into corporate performance for assessment. Under the historical background that the construction of ecological civilization has risen to a national strategy, the research on corporate environmental performance has attracted more and more attention. This paper constructs an environmental performance evaluation index system, evaluates the environmental performance of the enterprise, finds out the problems in the environmental performance of the enterprise, and proposes improvement suggestions. This is conducive to the change of the environmental policy of the enterprise, the improvement of the environmental performance level of the enterprise, and the protection of the ecological environment. This article introduces the mobile communication network, constructs the LMS model of the satellite mobile communication system, and analyzes the structure and main functions of the model. The article explains the role of corporate environmental governance, builds an environmental performance indicator system, selects several companies to evaluate the environmental governance performance of the past two years, and obtains the comprehensive performance index, stress index, state improvement index, and response index of the four companies in 2020. The four indexes of company A are 1.28, 1.3, 12, and 1.45, and the four indexes of company B are 2.96, 3.1, 8, and 2.9.

A note on an enhanced dynamic authentication scheme for mobile satellite communication systems

SummaryRecently, Yulei Chen and Jianhua Chen (An enchanced dynamic authentication scheme for mobile satellite communication systems. Int J Satell Commun Netw. 2020; 39(3): 250‐262) presented an enhanced dynamic authentication scheme for mobile satellite communication systems in 2020. The authors found that there is a flaw in the authentication phase of the scheme proposed by Yulei Chen and Jianhua Chen's scheme. Due to this flaw, user is unable to authenticate to NCC (network control center) and also fails to establish the session key with NCC. In this paper, the authors improved the Yulei Chen and Jianhua Chen's scheme. In the proposed scheme, it is shown that user is able to authenticate to NCC (network control center) and also establish the session key with NCC. The authors also demonstrate that the computation cost and communication cost are also decreased.

Multi-band planar diplexers with sub-sets of frequency-contiguous transmission bands

AbstractA class of multi-band planar diplexer with sub-sets of frequency-contiguous transmission bands is reported. Such a radio frequency (RF) device is suitable for lightweight high-frequency receivers aimed at multi-band/multi-purpose mobile satellite communications systems. It consists of two channelizing filters, each of them being made up of the in-series cascade connection of replicas of a constituent multi-passband/multi-embedded-stopband filtering stage. This building filtering stage defines a multi-passband transfer function for each channel, in which each main transmission band is split into various sub-passbands by the multi-stopband part. In this manner, each split passband gives rise to several sub-passbands that are imbricated with their counterpart ones of the other channel. The theoretical RF operational principles of the proposed multi-band diplexer approach with sub-sets of imbricated passbands are detailed by means of a coupling–routing–diagram formalism. Besides, the generation of additional transmission zeros in each channelizing filter for higher-selectivity realizations by exploiting cross-coupling techniques into it is also detailed. Furthermore, for experimental demonstration purposes, a microstrip proof-of-concept prototype of second-order octo-band diplexer in the frequency range of 1.5–2.5 GHz that consists of two quad-band channelizing filters with pairs of imbricated passbands is developed and characterized.

Non-Rainy Attenuation Over Earth-Space Paths at Tropical and Temperate Sites Using Meteorological Data and NWP Products

A long-term investigation of the attenuation in non-rainy conditions has been carried out, for a tropical and a temperate location, using meteorological data and NWP (Numerical Weather Prediction) products during the period 2011-2015. The results show that ERA-5 full profiles are appropriate to estimate non-rainy attenuation in lieu of radiometric or radiosonde observations. Simpler regression-based methods are established. A new formulation for oxygen attenuation is introduced, which only requires surface temperature and pressure. Mass absorption coefficients are used for water vapour and cloud attenuation. Simpler regression-based approaches are then validated. The non-rainy attenuation at K, Ka and Q bands has been found noticeably higher in the tropics than in the temperate region. This study would facilitate the planning of global mobile satellite communication systems.

Comparative analysis of Luneberg spherical lens designs

Formulation of the problem. The development of modern mobile satellite communication systems dictates the need for the development of multipath antennas having: high values of the directional coefficient, low level of side lobes, a large number of scanning beams in a wide viewing sector without distortion in the azimuthal and angular planes. Multipath antenna systems based on spherical Luneberg lenses have these advantages. Despite their advantages, the spherical lenses of Luneberg did not find wide practical use due to the complexity of the design, the high cost of production, and the large mass (in some cases). Thanks to the progress in the field of artificial media, the emergence of new production methods, various designs of spherical Luneberg lenses have been developed. The use of artificial dielectrics allows you to create inexpensive, lightweight spherical Luneberg lenses. One widely used method of creating an artificial environment is to use partial air filling dielectrics. Luneberg lenses based on such media can have various designs: based on a dielectric ball with radial holes of variable diameter, from electrically small dielectric cubes of variable size, from a set of perforated dielectric disks, etc. For the manufacture of such lenses, various manufacturing technologies can be used, for example, three-dimensional printing, CNC machine. Purpose. Comparative analysis of the characteristics of two structures of the spherical Luneberg lens with the aim of working at frequencies above 9 GHz: from a set of perforated dielectric disks, from dielectric cubes of different sizes. Results. The results of comparative analysis of two designs of the spherical Luneberg lens are presented. The procedure of synthesis of each structure is considered. Design dependencies of effective dielectric constant used in development of investigated spherical lenses of Luneberg are given. Possible methods of technical implementation for each lens are considered, as well as important features that should be taken into account when designing and technical implementation. The weight of each structure was estimated. Conclusions about mechanical strength were made. Based on numerical modeling using the Weyland method, a comparison of directional properties in a wide frequency band was made. Conclusions have been drawn about the similarity and difference in directional characteristics. Practical importance. The scientific and technical results obtained in the article will be useful in choosing the design of the Luneberg lens from artificial dielectrics, depending on the specified technical requirements, and production conditions.

An enhanced dynamic authentication scheme for mobile satellite communication systems

SummaryRecently, Altaf et al. proposed a novel authentication and key‐agreement scheme for satellite communication network. In this paper, we will prove that Altaf et al.'s scheme cannot provide perfect forward secrecy and resist the off‐line password guessing attack and user impersonation attack. To overcome these weaknesses, we propose an enhanced dynamic authentication scheme for mobile satellite communication systems, making use of the advantages of one‐way hash function and the discrete logarithm problem. We formally prove the security of the proposed scheme under the widely used BPR adversary model, and the heuristic discussion shows that the new scheme has good security and can resist all kinds of known malicious attacks. In addition, by comparing with other related schemes, we find that our scheme has better performance.

Exploring Implicit Pilots for Precise Estimation of LEO Satellite Downlink Doppler Frequency

The performance of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite Doppler positioning is fundamentally dominated by the precision with which the Doppler frequency is estimated, generally using an explicit pilot from the received signal. This letter proposes an algorithm for the precise estimation of the LEO satellite downlink Doppler frequency based on the joint use of the explicit pilot signal and an implicit pilot, which is a signal segment opportunistically available in an LEO downlink frame with all zero bits, all one bits, or interleaved zero and one bits. The theoretical performance is derived, and simulation results show that the proposed algorithm reaches the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB). Verifications are conducted on signals from the Iridium mobile satellite communications system. The results show that 58.41% of Iridium frames in the ring alert and paging channels have implicit pilots and that for frames with implicit pilots, the proposed algorithm reduces the Doppler frequency estimation error by 70% compared to algorithms that use only the explicit pilot.

A simple frequency and polarization reconfigurable antenna

ABSTRACT In this paper, frequency and polarization reconfigurable patch antenna is presented. The designed antenna has a simple structure and compact size of 40 × 40 × 2.5 mm3. Frequency reconfiguration is achieved by using PIN diode while switchable truncated corners of the patch antenna are for linear-to-circular polarization reconfiguration. The proposed antenna structure is designed for global navigation satellite system L1 band (1.589–1.605 GHz), wireless local area network at 2.4 GHz band, worldwide interoperability for microwave access at 2.5 GHz band and mobile satellite communication systems at 1.6 GHz frequency band.

Analysis and Design of Ultrawideband Circularly Polarized Antenna and Array

This article presents the design and analysis of an ultrawideband (UWB) circularly polarized (CP) antenna element and its array. First, an UWB CP antenna element using circular-arc-shaped monopole (CASM) with asymmetric ground plane is proposed. Characteristic mode analysis (CMA) is used to investigate its CP operating mechanism, providing physical insights into different modes (mode currents and characteristic radiation fields) at various frequencies. The CMA results show that the asymmetric ground plane makes great contribution to produce CP radiation in the lower frequency band, while another upper CP band is generated by CASM. Thus, the overall 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) of the element can be significantly expanded. Furthermore, a $2 \times 2$ UWB CP array is designed based on this element. A gradient artificial magnetic conductor (GAMC) with a metal cone is adopted to realize both a low-profile ( $0.1 \times \lambda $ , where $\lambda $ is the air-free wavelength at lowest frequency) and the high-gain radiation for the first time. To validate this novel configuration, this array is fabricated and measured. The measured bandwidth ( $\vert S_{11} \vert dB, AR < 3 dB) is approximately 92.3% (1.75–4.75 GHz). It also achieves a wide 3 dB gain bandwidth of 72.3%. Both the simulated and measured results demonstrate that this low-profile high-gain antenna array is promising for applications in wireless systems such as mobile satellite communication system.

Testing of Goods Controlling Device Based on Satellite Systems

This article is devoted to reviewing the results of testing an electronic security seal. The electronic security seal is one of the main parts of Intelligent Transportation System Transit, intended to control the integrity and movement of cargo section of a carrier vehicle by means of the satellite navigation system, mobile cellular communication system and satellite communication system. The electronic security seal operates as remote, autonomous, outdoor used device, installed on the hinges of the cargo compartment doors. In this regard, the development of the electronic security seals is followed by tests to verify the desired characteristics and sustainability together with the resistance to external influences factors. Technical and operating characteristics of the electronic security seal were checked. Tests of the electronic security seal on resistance to such climatic factors as temperature and humidity were carried out. Tests of the electronic security seal on resistance to mechanical influences (vibration, mechanical shock) were performed.

The Design of Service Acquisition System for Tiantong Satellite Mobile Communication Terminal

In order to maintain national security and social stability, the ground mobile communication system is monitored by security sector in some area that captures information to prevent crime and terrorist attack. Because TianTong (TT)satellite mobile communication system is run by China Telecom publicly, so it must be equipped with capture system to forbid transmission of crime information. By analyzing advantages of independent station, L1 interface and IU interface, the method of data distribution through fiber between Access Network and Core Network is adopted in this system. The data obtained from the IU interface, through the signalling processing and service processing equipment, forms the call list, analyses the SMS and location, and obtains the corresponding user voice of the call. Finally, these service data are stored in the database. The state list and hierarchical state machine (HSM) mothed is used in this design to solve the difficulty of tracking handset’s many states. This design has lots of advantages such as overall data, good expansibility, and easy implementation and so on, which can satisfy the needs of recent and further use extremely. Now, the test of this system is completed and all devices are ready to equip.

The Interference Analysis of the Terrestrial Components of International Mobile Telecommunications to the Satellite Mobile Communication System in S-band

In accordance with the Radio Regulations, the S-band (Earth-to-Space 1980-2010 MHz, Space-to-Earth 2170-2200 MHz) is currently a shared frequency band both for the mobile service and the mobile-satellite (MSS) service. Both the terrestrial and satellite components of IMT have already been deployed or are being considered for deployment in some countries with the frequency bands 1 980-2 010 MHz and 2 170-2 200 MHz. Both the terrestrial and satellite components of IMT have already been deployed or are being considered for deployment. When Therefore, the potential interference issues between the two systems need to be studied. According to the characteristics of the terrestrial components of IMT and satellite mobile communication system, this paper analyzes the impact of the terrestrial components of IMT on satellite mobile communication system, and gives measures to eliminate interference.

A novel authentication and key‐agreement scheme for satellite communication network

SummaryIn these days, satellite communication networks are playing a significant role in facilitating the crucial infrastructural services that include environmental monitoring, electronic surveillance, public safety, intelligence operations for law enforcement, government agencies, and the military. However, security researchers have uncovered that many protocols for these satellite communication networks have some vulnerabilities and flaws that can allow remote attackers to intercept, block, and manipulate critical communication over the network. Therefore, in this article, we introduce an efficient and simple authentication key agreement protocol for securing mobile satellite communication systems. Our proposed protocol resists against denial of service, smart‐card stolen, replay, user impersonation, and stolen verifier attack. Furthermore, our protocol provides various functionality features like perfect‐forward secrecy, mutual‐authentication, dynamic identity, and session‐key agreement. Moreover, the performance analysis of our protocol shows that the communication and computation cost of the proposed protocol is far less than the existing protocols. Hence, our proposed protocol offers simple, efficient, secure authentication, and key agreement for mobile satellite systems.

MOBILE SATELLITE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WITH PASSIVE TERMINALS BASED ON MODULATING RETRO-REFLECTORS

In this work, a qualitative and quantitative comparison of satellite mobile communications systems with various altitudes of the orbits of spacecraft was carried out. A study of the conditions for the spacecraft to be located in the visibility range of the ground terminal and an analysis of the time spent by the satellite in the visibility zone depending on the height of the orbit was made. According to the results of this analysis and taking into account the fact that the low orbit area around the Earth is very densely filled with artificial satellites and space debris, it can be concluded that it is advisable to increase the radius of the orbit of telecommunication satellites. At the same time the geostationary orbit, which has obvious advantages in terms of coverage, is also quite densely filled with spacecraft, and is very high for the efficient operation of low-power mobile ground terminals. Taking into account these features, it is concluded that the use of medium-height orbits for telecommunication satellite systems is promising for which global coverage of the Earth’s surface can be achieved using several dozen satellites. In addition, the distance to the Earth’s surface will be small enough to provide a high signal-to-noise ratio and, as a result, the system will provide a high bitrate. A computer simulation of the operation of a satellite telecommunication system was carried out for a different number of spacecraft and various parameters of their orbits in order to determine the conditions for achieving global coverage. This simulation confirms the conclusions regarding the feasibility of using medium orbits. The concept of using passive terminals based on modulating retroreflectors was proposed. It means the reflection of a satellite signal by a ground terminal without emitting its own electromagnetic energy. The energy of the terminals is spent only on the modulation of the reflected signal. This approach will significantly reduce the energy consumption of ground terminals and thereby increase mobility. It is proposed to carry out phase and polarization modulation of the signal using liquid crystals or metamaterials.