Optimizing a Formation-of-Arrays Mega-Antenna for High-Throughput Satellite Communications

This paper investigates the optimization of a mega-antenna (MEGAN) system in a geostationary orbit to provide 5 G -like services through a formation of closely spaced satellites. Each satellite in the formation carries a direct radiating antenna, coordinated by a central reference satellite to create a selective multibeam radiation pattern. This paper, which elaborates on previous works on system simulations for network throughput, introduces a more efficient methodology by using an analytical approach to compute the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio at each coverage point. This method enables direct calculation of network efficiency in terms of available bit-rate per unit area, offering more accurate and computationally efficient optimization of the MEGAN configuration.