Sustainability or Survivability? Eliminating the Need to Choose in LEO Satellite Constellations

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel satellite constellation design called SS-plane that aligns with Earth's diurnal cycle, significantly reducing satellite count and radiation exposure, thereby enhancing sustainability and survivability of LEO networks.

Contribution

The paper proposes the SS-plane constellation design based on sun-synchronous orbits, addressing inefficiencies in current LEO satellite networks by considering traffic patterns and space environment constraints.

Findings

Reduces satellite count by up to tenfold

Cuts radiation exposure by approximately 23%

Suggests a shift towards sustainable, targeted LEO constellations

Abstract

LEO Satellite Networks (LSNs) are revolutionizing global connectivity, but their reliance on tens of thousands of satellites raises pressing concerns over sustainability and survivability. In this work, we argue that the inefficiencies in LSN designs stem from ignoring the strong spatiotemporal structure of Internet traffic demand (which impacts sustainability) and the physical realities of the near-Earth space environment (which affects survivability). We propose a novel design approach based on sun-synchronous (SS) orbits called SS-plane, which aligns satellite coverage with the Earth's diurnal cycle. We demonstrate that SS-plane constellations can reduce the number of satellites required by up to an order of magnitude and cut radiation exposure by ~23% compared to traditional Walker-delta constellations. These findings suggest a paradigm shift in LSN research from large, disposable megaconstellations to more sustainable, targeted LEO constellations.