Distance Order Statistics for Multi-Layer Satellite Constellation

Understanding the distance between a terrestrial terminal and nodes within a hierarchical non-terrestrial network (NTN) can be critical for determining the appropriate uplink or downlink methodology. Further, understanding the intra-and inter-layer nodal distances can greatly impact many routing or multi-hop protocols within a cooperative network. For this reason, this paper develops order statistics to enable comparing the contact distance between a terrestrial terminal and any node within the network. Additionally, order statistics are developed to provide an understanding of the distance between any node and its nth-nearest neighbor.