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 constellations. Starting from simple considerations on the structure of the underlying network topology, we derive the probability of use of diierent families of links, with various hypotheses on the nature of the traac. Our analysis 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.