Device and method for optimizing the ground coverage of a hybrid space system

摘要

A telecommunications system for intermittent data transfer from and to at least one user located substantially on the surface of a celestial body. The system comprises at least one surface transmitter/receiver terminal associated with each user, one or more signal repeater means for the signals transmitted and/or received from the surface terminals. Each moving repeater means has at least one antenna oriented toward the surface of the celestial body, and adapted to allow communications from and to surface terminals. Each antenna produces a transmission/reception beam, the track of which on the surface of the celestial body forms the ground track, the progressive sweeping of the surface by this ground track forming a strip called a swath.

主权项

1. A telecommunications system for intermittent data transfer from and to at least one user located substantially on the surface of a celestial body, the telecommunications system comprising:
at least one surface transmitter/receiver terminal associated with each user; one or more moving signal repeaters to repeat signals transmitted to or received from the surface terminals, the repeaters moving above the surface of the celestial body, each moving repeater having at least one antenna oriented toward the surface of the celestial body, and configured to allow communications from and to surface terminals, each antenna producing a transmission/reception beam, a track of which on the surface of the celestial body forms a ground track, the progressive sweeping of the surface by the ground track forms a strip called a swath; and an active track length reduction device, configured to ensure that, at each point P of the swath of the moving repeater, and on each pass of the latter, a total coverage time along a line of movement by at least one active antenna of the moving repeater determines a length Lac(P) called the active communication length, whose mean value Lac over a width of the swath is smaller than the width lf of said swath along an axis perpendicular to the line of movement.