The UAV-3S project brings satellite technology to UAV use cases

The UAV-3S project combines the great possibilities of two hot topics: unmanned aerial vehicles and satellite systems. In this project, Magister is responsible for the design and development of the UAV-3S system simulator.

The UAV-3S project brings us a bit closer to the Earth’s surface than the most previous ones. The project explores the possibilities of using satellite communication systems for UAV terminals.

UAV-3S is an ESA-funded project in which Magister, as the prime contractor, is responsible for the design and development of the UAV-3S system simulator. The subcontractors working with Magister are:

• Skyports Drone Services from the UK – responsible for UAV platform and satellite terminal analysis.
• Satellite Applications Catapult from the UK – responsible for evaluation scenarios and system requirements definition.

The project started in October 2023 and will run for 21 months, until summer 2025.

In this project’s context, UAV terminals are devices that are either controlled remotely or move independently along a predetermined route. They may be quadcopter-type or airplane-like in appearance, but they fly lower in the atmosphere than regular airplanes. They typically deliver goods to places that are otherwise difficult to reach – for example, islands or mountain regions.

The objective of this project is to develop and test an end-to-end system simulator that provides performance indicators for the development of UAV satellite terminals. The simulator will support both command and control, and payload data communications, GSO and NGSO constellations, a variety of UAVs, and realistic terrain morphology.

Magister: The project is an interesting continuation of our previous work

“Magister is using the C-DReAM capacity level system simulator as a baseline for UAV-3S, and we’re further enhancing it towards the UAV SatCom use case. The simulator will implement the UAV logistics use cases presented by Rhys Gittoes from Skyports Drone Services. It will include, for example, realistic UAV path and attitude traces and channel models”, explained Jani Puttonen, the former CEO of Magister Solutions.

In addition, Magister will support various satellite system configurations to serve a set of UAV terminals, for example:

• Satellite constellations, e.g. LEO or GEO satellite constellations
• Various link budget parameters, especially UAV satellite terminal antenna pattern and satellite beam coverage
• Frequency bands, e.g. L-band
• Satellite air interface, e.g. 5G NR-NTN or DVB.

The simulator will implement two distinct simulation capabilities:

1. Simulation of end-to-end performance of a stationary grid of UAVs distributed over a configurable service area
2. Simulation of the end-to-end performance of UAVs during their realistic end-to-end flights, i.e. including the effects of path, velocity, altitude, attitude, and terrain morphology.

Magister SimLab is used as a graphical UI to run simulations, analyze simulation results, and visualize scenarios and results. The objective is to build a performant simulation tool for analyzing the UAV satellite terminal requirements when served by various SatCom systems.

“The most interesting thing about this project is that after all the previous technological research, now we get to a more concrete level, to evaluate a specific use case. We are much closer to the actual customers who would use UAV services. The tools created in this project can be used in offering similar services in the future”, Puttonen added.

Satellite Applications Catapult: Better availability and reliability for UAVs

UAVs that use terrestrial cellular network connectivity face several challenges. These include, for example, downlink and uplink interferences, and coverage gaps in the sky due to the downtilting of traditional cellular base station antennas. According to Arunprakash Jayaprakash, Senior Research and Innovation Engineer from Satellite Applications Catapult, satellite access can bring multiple benefits to UAV use cases.

“The availability and reliability aspects of the UAV communication link can be significantly improved with satellite systems. They provide blanket coverage to the UAVs over cells, ranging from tens to hundreds of kilometers. There are fewer link failures due to the performance independence from the UAV flight trajectory.”

“Different factors can pose challenges to meeting optimum satellite link performance in various flight phases. The aspects causing these challenges can include multipaths, shadowing and blockage due to various ground terrain conditions, as well as extreme flight conditions such as low altitudes, high pitch and/or roll angles. These need to be analyzed for efficient satellite terminal design.”

The benefits of satellite technology in UAV terminals:

• Satellite systems provide better link stability (fewer link failures due to their performance independence from the UAV flight trajectory) whereas they suffer from longer delays. 
• Satellites maximize the inherent value of terrestrial cellular networks due to their unique characteristics, such as wide area coverage. This is vital for extending networks to low-density populated areas, one-to-many distribution, and reliable and resilient operations.

Skyports Drone Services: Strong expertise in different UAV use cases

Skyports Drone Services brings critical contextual expertise to this project.

“We specialize in uncrewed aerial logistics, surveys, and monitoring operations. The logistics field of the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems industry typically requires beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. UAS logistical use cases that bring the most benefit to our customers normally favour areas of complex geography and topography in hard-to-reach areas with low road density”, said Rhys Gittoes, Project Associate at Skyports Drone Services.

“Such locations often lack a reliable Command & Control (C2) link with the aircraft via traditional radio links or LTE and therefore require the use of SatCom. With SaCom onboard our aircraft, we are able to service our customers across maritime, offshore and rural areas, providing a robust and reliable means of communication”, Gittoes continued.

In this project, the primary use cases are:

• Medical Logistics: Transporting supplies and medical samples between hospitals to surgical practices
• Maritime Logistics: Transporting supplies and equipment between shore and ship 
• Offshore Logistics: Transporting supplies and equipment between offshore assets and from offshore assets to the mainland

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