A probabilistic study of inter-satellite links load in polar orbit satellite constellations

We analyze the load of the inter-satellite links in polar satellite constel lations. Starting from simple considerations on the structure of the underl ying network topology. we derive the probability of use of different famili es of links. with various hypotheses on the nature of the traffic. Our anal ysis leads to a simple, practical evaluation of the asymptotical link load, which depends on the position of the link. Our model is validated through a constellation simulator. which shows that the results hold even for light load.