US 11,916,652 B2
Method of, and apparatus for, improved satellite communications
David Robson, Didcot (GB)
Assigned to METHERA GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, Didcot (GB)
Appl. No. 17/278,134
Filed by METHERA GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, Didcot (GB)
PCT Filed Sep. 20, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/075401
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 19, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/058503, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1815441 (GB), filed on Sep. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0006513 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. H04B 7/185 (2006.01); H04B 7/195 (2006.01); H04B 7/204 (2006.01); H04W 84/06 (2009.01)
CPC H04B 7/18528 (2013.01) [H04B 7/18517 (2013.01); H04B 7/195 (2013.01); H04B 7/2041 (2013.01); H04W 84/06 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
17. A method for satellite communication, comprising:
a) providing a plurality of communication satellites arranged in a medium Earth orbit (MEO) in a plurality of orbital planes such that a plurality of satellites are provided in each orbital plane, each satellite being operable to communicate with at least one terrestrial user terminal:
b) generating, using at least at least one communications antenna on at least one satellite, a spot beam on a selected terrestrial region to enable a user terminal in said selected terrestrial region to receive and/or send data via said spot beam, and
c) generating, using at least at least one gateway antenna on at least one satellite, a gateway spot beam on a selected terrestrial gateway region to enable one or more terrestrial gateway terminals within said gateway region to receive and/or send data via the gateway spot beam, wherein the plurality of satellites is arranged such that the spot beams of at least two satellites are operable to cover the same terrestrial region at any one time, and wherein a plurality of gateway antennas within the network and a plurality of communications antennas within the network are arranged to operate on a same frequency or band of frequencies.