HAPS Communication Networks: A Tutorial-cum-Survey on Integration with Optical Atmospheric Sensing
Ali Elkhazraji, Mohamed-Slim Alouini, and Aamir Farooq

TL;DR
This paper reviews the integration of HAPS communication networks with optical atmospheric sensing, highlighting recent advances, architectures, and applications for environmental monitoring and 6G networks.
Contribution
It provides a comprehensive survey of HAPS optical communication and sensing integration, outlining a roadmap for implementing DIAL and high-throughput FSO systems on HAPS.
Findings
HAPS enable co-located sensing and communication with high spectral and spatial resolution.
Optical hardware and transmission windows support trace-gas retrieval and high-speed data links.
HAPS outperform satellites and UAVs in certain environmental monitoring and communication scenarios.
Abstract
High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) are emerging as key enablers of future non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), supporting gigabit-class free-space optical (FSO) backhaul links while hosting laser-based sensing payloads. This tutorial and survey reviews recent advances in HAPS optical communication and integration with atmospheric remote sensing via shared optical links. Among several sensing techniques, Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) is identified as most promising due to its range-resolved sensitivity, spectral selectivity, and compatibility with HAPS constraints. A roadmap is outlined for implementing telecom-band DIAL on HAPS alongside high-throughput FSO systems. The paper analyzes architectural and atmospheric advantages of HAPS over terrestrial and satellite nodes, emphasizing spatial-temporal coverage, station-keeping ability, and support for compact laser payloads such as…
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Taxonomy
TopicsOptical Wireless Communication Technologies · UAV Applications and Optimization · Aerospace Engineering and Energy Systems
