Avoiding Self-Interference in Megaconstellations Through Cooperative Satellite Routing and Frequency Assignment
Nils Pachler, Edward F. Crawley, Bruce Cameron
Abstract
With the reduced distance between satellites in modern megaconstellations, the potential for self-interference has emerged as a critical challenge that demands strategic solutions from satellite operators. The goal of this paper is to propose a cooperative framework that combines the Satellite Routing (i.e., mapping of beams to satellites) and Frequency Assignment (i.e., mapping of frequency spectrum to beams) strategies to mitigate self-interference both within and between satellites. This approach stands in contrast to current practices found in the literature, which address each problem independently and solely focus on intra-satellite interference. This study presents a novel methodology for addressing the Satellite Routing problem, specifically tailored for modern constellations to maximize capacity while effectively mitigating self-interference through the use of Integer Optimization. By combining this method with established Frequency Assignment techniques, the results demonstrate an increase in throughput of up to 138% for constellations such as SpaceX Starlink. Notably, the study reveals that relying on individual approaches to tackle interference may lead to undesired outcomes, underscoring the advantages of a cooperative framework. Through simulations, the study highlights the practicality and applicability of the proposed method under realistic operational conditions.