Geology

Aerospace engineering

Low earth orbit

Engineering

Satellite

Orbit (dynamics)

Computer science

Satellite broadcasting

Simulation

Remote sensing

Large Low Earth Orbit broadband satellite networks are quickly becoming viable alternatives to ground-based or terrestrial networks as a number of implementations are currently being constructed by commercial service providers. Unlike previous systems, these new constellations are comprised of 100's to 1,000's of interconnected satellites. This paper presents a novel simulation tool that enables the study of large satellite constellations with focus on inter-satellite and satellite-to-ground station network design. We present the design and implementation of the simulator tool and demonstrate its use to analyze network designs and constellation structures with regards to routing performance.

Network Simulator for Large Low Earth Orbit Satellite Networks