GEO Relay-Enabled Inter-Satellite Communication Architecture for India’s LEO Fleet

India’s satellite programs, though advanced in payload development and launch operations, still rely predominantly on ground-station-dependent communication. This dependence leads to temporal gaps in data relay, increased mission latency, and limited real-time responsiveness. To address this, the present research proposes a Geostationary (GEO) relay–enabled inter-satellite communication framework that links multiple Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites with three GEO communication hubs. The proposed hybrid model employs optical and Ka-band communication channels to optimize throughput and reliability. Simulations were carried out using AGI Systems Tool Kit (STK) integrated with Python for orbital control, data analysis, and link-budget computation.