Constellation multi-parameter architecture system simulator (COMPASS)

Satellite constellation design faces significant challenges due to the interdependence of numerous technical and economic factors. Traditional approaches often focus on single aspects such as coverage or network architecture, resulting in suboptimal system designs. This paper presents COMPASS (COmprehensive Modelling Platform for Architecting Satellite Systems), an end-to-end optimization framework based on trade-space exploration that integrates five interconnected models: satellite mass and cost estimation, message transmission simulation, launch cost calculation, financial performance evaluation, and trade-space analysis. The simulator's capabilities will be demonstrated through a messaging service use case based on LoRa technology, targeting global population without cellular coverage. Constellations technical and financial performance will be estimated, and a system bottlenecks will be analyzed based on the obtained results. COMPASS enables designers to identify optimal constellation architectures that balance technical performance with economic viability, significantly accelerating the design process. Pareto analysis of 729 architecture alternatives reveals that satisfied demand plateaus at approximately 50%, indicating that further constellation growth becomes ineffective beyond certain configurations. Network performance analysis identifies system bottlenecks, while financial modelling confirms profitability even at low message pricing of $0.01 per message.