Patent ID: 11916592
Assignee: HONEYWELL LIMITED HONEYWELL LIMITÉE
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 18:
19. A satellite configured to orbit Earth along a specified medium-earth orbital plane comprising:
(a) a plurality of optical terminals, the plurality of optical terminals including at least a pair of intraorbital optical terminals and a plurality of additional optical terminals including at least one first additional optical terminal and a second additional optical terminal, wherein each intraorbital optical terminal is operable to establish an optical inter-link to an adjacent satellite within the same specified orbital plane, and each additional optical terminal is operable to establish an optical link to a different optical communication system external to the specified orbital plane; and
(b) a processor configured to operate the satellite to:
i) establish an optical data link with at least one relay satellite in a different altitude of orbit around Earth using the at least one first additional optical terminal;
ii) receive aggregate satellite-specific data from each of the at least one relay satellite, the aggregate satellite-specific data corresponding to satellite-specific data acquired from at least two satellites in an orbital plane of the at least one relay satellite;
iii) establish optical data links with a plurality of additional MEO satellites spaced apart from the satellite along the specified medium-earth orbital plane using the intraorbital optical terminals;
iv) operate in a first mode of operation, wherein in the first mode of operation the satellite is configured to receive relayed aggregate satellite-specific data from at least one of the additional MEO satellites and to relay the relayed aggregate satellite-specific data to a ground-based optical communication system using the second additional optical terminal, wherein the relayed aggregate satellite-specific data comprises the aggregate satellite-specific data from at least one of the at least one relay satellite;
v) operate in a second mode of operation separate from the first mode of operation, wherein in the second mode of operation, the satellite is configured to forward aggregate satellite-specific data to at least one of the additional MEO satellites using the intraorbital optical terminals, the aggregate satellite-specific data comprising the received aggregate satellite-specific data from at least one of the at least one relay satellite.