Space Shift Keying-Enabled ISAC for Efficient Debris Detection and Communication in LEO Satellite Networks

TL;DR

This paper investigates space shift keying (SSK) modulation within integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems for low Earth orbit satellite networks, demonstrating its effectiveness for debris detection and data transmission with optimized waveform choices.

Contribution

It introduces the use of SSK modulation in ISAC for LEO satellites and analyzes how waveform selection impacts sensing and communication performance.

Findings

SSK achieves comparable BER with sinusoidal and chirp waveforms.

Chirp waveforms enable range and velocity estimation.

Waveform choice affects sensing capabilities without degrading communication.

Abstract

The proliferation of space debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) presents critical challenges for orbital safety, particularly for satellite constellations. Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems provide a promising dual function solution by enabling both environmental sensing and data communication. This study explores the use of space shift keying (SSK) modulation within ISAC frameworks, evaluating its performance when combined with sinusoidal and chirp radar waveforms. SSK is particularly attractive due to its low hardware complexity and robust communication performance. Our results demonstrate that both waveforms achieve comparable bit error rate (BER) performance under SSK, validating its effectiveness for ISAC applications. However, waveform selection significantly affects sensing capability: while the sinusoidal waveform supports simpler implementation, its high ambiguity limits range detection. In contrast, the chirp waveform enables range estimation and provides a modest improvement in velocity detection accuracy. These findings highlight the strength of SSK as a modulation scheme for ISAC and emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate waveforms to optimize sensing accuracy without compromising communication performance. This insight supports the design of efficient and scalable ISAC systems for space applications, particularly in the context of orbital debris monitoring.