Research on hierarchical architecture and routing of satellite constellation with IGSO‐GEO‐MEO network

Summary In this paper, a three‐layered medium Earth orbit (MEO), geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), and inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellite network (IGMSN) is presented. Based on the idea of time‐slot division, a novel dynamic hierarchical and distributed QoS (quality of service) routing protocol (HDRP) is investigated, and an adaptive bandwidth‐constrained minimum‐delay path for IGSO/GEO/MEO hierarchical architecture constellation (BMDP‐HAC) algorithm is developed to calculate routing tables efficiently using the QoS metric information composed of delays and bandwidth. The performance of the IGMSN and HDRP is evaluated through simulations and theoretical analysis. And then, the paper further analyzes the performance of the IGMSN structure and the BMDP‐HAC algorithm with failure satellites.