6G Satellite Network Architecture with Onboard Computing Capabilities

With the rapid advancement in space-grade hardware technologies and wide use of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) components, satellites are expected to have their onboarded computational capability, and thus mega satellite constellations can function as a wireless core network floating in space with Inetr-Satellite Links (ISLs). This chapter introduces candidate schemes of the satellite network with 6G technologies, which enable diverse services in global coverage for remote areas IoT, broadband space Internet, and so on. First, the advantages of the 6G mega satellite constellations network with ISLs are introduced, and the architecture of the Software-Defined Network (SDN) for satellites is presented as a key enabler of the satellite core network. Next, satellite edge computing architectures based on code offloading are proposed, and the adequate altitude and offloading rate of satellite edge servers are analyzed with respect to the end-to-end latency, computational power, and transmission power of satellite onboard servers. Lastly, satellite network slicing is presented with subproblems of slice planning and scheduling: reservations of end-to-end satellite network resources are planned for virtual network requests and ground–satellite handovers, and slices are scheduled at the access satellite edge onboard servers to meet service requirements.