This is a LEO mega-constellation emulator designed to provide a realistic and highly configurable environment capable of accurately replicating the behavior of a satellite network to analyze its integration with real-world systems. Thanks to its flexible architecture, it enables the simulation of complex operational scenarios, supports real traffic, and allows physical devices to interface with the emulated environment, facilitating experimentation and the development of innovative solutions in the satellite communications sector.
The key aspects of the product can be summarized in four main points:
Satellite Routing Emulation
Leveraging an advanced routing system, the emulator accurately simulates inter-satellite communication dynamics, assessing link quality and propagation delays with high precision. All simulation parameters, including orbital characteristics, routing policies, and network conditions, are fully customizable via configuration files, ensuring maximum flexibility in scenario definition.
End-to-End Scenario Replication
The emulator enables the recreation of complete end-to-end systems, providing a virtual environment for testing complex network architectures and validating communication protocols under realistic operational conditions. Its modular design allows the execution of any type of application, with no constraints on traffic characteristics or protocol compatibility. Unlike abstract simulators, it processes real traffic, ensuring highly accurate results that are directly applicable to real-world deployments. This approach supports the testing and optimization of various services and applications, including satellite cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), emergency communications, and next-generation networks, offering a reliable evaluation of their performance in space-based environments.
Integration with Real Systems
A key feature of the emulator is its ability to integrate with real-world systems by receiving traffic from external sources and enabling physical devices to interface with the emulated network. This capability makes it particularly suitable for field testing with real hardware and for the development of new satellite and network applications. A notable example is its integration with a 5G core network, which allows for the study of interoperability between satellite constellations and terrestrial mobile networks, facilitating advanced communication scenarios and accelerating technological validation.
Performance and Scalability
To ensure scalability and efficiency, the emulator leverages lightweight technologies such as containers and namespaces, enabling the replication of large-scale scenarios without excessive system resource consumption. This approach allows the emulation of highly complex networks while maintaining high performance and optimized resource utilization, making it an ideal tool for large-scale studies and experimentation.