Technology Readiness of Future Generation Networks Leveraging Regenerative Satellite Mesh Architecture - a Spaceway Perspective

Satellite network capacity, adaptability, and responsiveness are enhanced with onboard capabilities for packet switching, bandwidth allocation, and spot-beams which facilitate uplink and downlink spectral reuse. A recent over-the-air (OTA) test of the SPACEWAY /sup TM/system, a Ka-band regenerative satellite mesh network supporting IP packet services, provides definitive demonstration of key capabilities in the areas of quality-of-service, routing for unicast and multicast (both best-effort and guaranteed service) traffic, dynamic bandwidth resource allocation, security, and configurable satellite uplink and downlink components. Leveraging SPACEWAY system technologies and operational capabilities serves as a pragmatic step toward the development of future multi-satellite networks with more advanced features including onboard packet routing, multi-mode radio transmission, and inter-satellite links, which are now being considered for transformational satellite networks