Assured satellite communications: A minimal-cost-variance system controller paradigm

This paper begins to bridge theoretical systems control with satellite communications in fundamental ways. In view of satellite system controllers, quality of service of user terminals needs a radically different perspective to reliably maintain a minimum adaptive link margin to account for link state uncertainties. Special emphasis is therefore given to the cost-variance, discrete-time control theory which enables an effective design for reliability to analyze the behavior of Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio (SINR)-based tracking systems. The work further articulates the use of state estimates for terminal power adjustments supported by discrete Kalman filtering with intermittent blockages. Moreover, the recent assessment of multi-access interference protection recommends that terminal powers should continue to be subject to terminal power control output back-off constraints. Lastly, communication rates for terminal reports from active remote terminals to the satellite ground hub can be optimized by means of the model-based triggering events.