A Task-Oriented Clustering Method in Multi-Layer Mega-Constellations

Benefiting from wide coverage and low expense, satellite constellations show potential in numerous applications. As satellite constellations expand with more diverse and smarter payloads, traditional networking methods become increasingly rigid. This rigidity hinders the flexible and efficient use of on-board resources in mega-constellations, and limits the ability of satellite networks to provide customized services. Hence, a taskoriented clustering (TOC) method based on Markov process is proposed for multi-layer mega-constellations, enabling flexible networking of satellites with different payloads according to task requirements. Finally, numerical simulation results demonstrate that the TOC method outperforms existing works.