Integrated LEO Constellation and In-Cabin Distribution System for Continuous Aircraft 5G Connectivity
The integration of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations with commercial aircraft communication systems presents critical challenges in maintaining continuous connectivity during dynamic flight conditions. Current geostationary satellite systems suffer from high round-trip latency ((Formula...
| Autores: | , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) |
| Repositorio: | r-CTTC. Repositorio Institucional Producción Científica del Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC) |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:cttc.fundanetsuite.com:p8908 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://cttc.fundanetsuite.com/Publicaciones/ProdCientif/PublicacionFrw.aspx?id=8908 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105030826550&doi=10.1002%2Fsat.70046&partnerID=40&md5=2c31be6d9911019e4792dcf7a1c7bad4 |
| Access Level: | acceso embargado |
| Palabra clave: | Civil aviation Communication satellites Fighter aircraft Geostationary satellites Network architecture Orbits Satellite antennas Satellite communication systems Space flight Aerospace system integration Aerospace systems Handover algorithms In-cabin In-cabin signal distribution Low earth orbit satellite constellation Low earth orbit satellites Nonterrestrial network Satellite constellations Signal distribution System integration Aircraft communication |
| Sumario: | The integration of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations with commercial aircraft communication systems presents critical challenges in maintaining continuous connectivity during dynamic flight conditions. Current geostationary satellite systems suffer from high round-trip latency ((Formula presented.) 500 ms) and inadequate coverage at high latitudes, limiting their utility for modern aeronautical applications. This study presents an integrated aerospace systems architecture combining LEO satellite constellation management with in-cabin signal distribution networks to achieve uninterrupted 5G connectivity for aircraft. A simulation framework incorporating orbital mechanics, adaptive handover algorithms, and 3GPP-compliant ray tracing techniques evaluates system performance across transcontinental routes. Results demonstrate 97.78% connectivity reliability using sequential satellite insertion with 8–10 LEO satellites along a 2500-km flight corridor, achieving handover success rates of 97.5% with execution times of 150–250 ms. In-cabin signal analysis using distributed 4 (Formula presented.) 8 MIMO antenna arrays achieves 58.55-dB average path loss with 3.2-dB standard deviation across passenger areas. Performance validation under extreme operational scenarios (transpolar routes, emergency descent, and takeoff/landing phases) confirms (Formula presented.) connectivity maintenance across all flight phases. These findings provide aerospace systems designers with quantitative performance metrics and architectural guidelines for next-generation satellite-based aircraft communication systems, addressing critical gaps in handover optimization, signal distribution, and operational robustness for commercial aviation applications. © 2026 The Author(s). International Journal of Satellite Communications and Networking published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. |
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