An Extensible Multi-Layer Architecture Model Based on LEO-MSS and Performance Analysis

Traditional low earth orbit mobile satellite systems (LEO-MSSs) cannot satisfy the demands of huge capacity in ultra-dense regions. In addition, due to the frequent passive group handover caused by high speed movement of LEO satellites, quality of service (QoS) can hardly be satisfied. In this paper, we propose an extensible multi-layer architecture model based on traditional LEO-MSSs to solve these problems. In the proposed architecture, we introduce high-altitude platforms (HAPs) and terrestrial relays (TRs) to cover ultra-dense regions and provide communication services. We also present the theoretical analysis of the system capacity and handover rate to evaluate the benefits brought by the proposed architecture. Moreover, we compare the system performance after adding HAPs and TRs in different scenarios. Simulation results validate that HAPs and TRs can increase capacity and reduce handover rate, and show how the capacity and handover rate are improved.