Satellite, terminal device, satellite communication system, and satellite communication method

A satellite communication method, comprising:

• receiving, by a second satellite, at a media access control (MAC) layer or an above-MAC protocol layer, at least one of data or signaling, wherein the second satellite is a medium orbit satellite or a high orbit satellite, wherein the at least one of the data or the signaling does not comprise a header of a below-MAC-layer protocol layer;
• and
• at least one of:
• performing, by the second satellite, at the MAC layer, MAC-layer second processing on at least one of the data or the signaling, wherein the MAC-layer second processing comprises MAC layer function processing other than hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) function processing and random access (RA) function processing;
• or
• performing, by the second satellite, at the above-MAC protocol layer, above-MAC protocol layer processing on the at least one of the data or the signaling.

A satellite, comprising:

• an on-satellite system, comprising:
• a media access control (MAC) entity, wherein the MAC entity comprises a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) function module and a random access RA function module;
• and
• a below-MAC protocol layer entity;
• at least one processor;
• and
• one or more memories coupled to the at least one processor and storing computer instructions for execution by the at least one processor, wherein the computer instructions instruct the at least one processor to:
• obtain at least one of data or signaling, wherein the satellite is a low orbit satellite;
• in response to MAC-layer first processing needing to be performed on the at least one of the data or the signaling, perform, the MAC-layer first processing on the at least one of the data or the signaling, wherein the MAC-layer first processing comprises at least one of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) function processing and random access (RA) function processing;
• and
• in response to MAC-layer second processing or above-MAC protocol layer processing needing to be performed on the at least one of the data or the signaling, send, by the first satellite, the at least one of the data or the signaling to a second satellite, wherein the MAC-layer second processing comprises MAC layer function processing other than the HARQ function processing and the RA function processing, and wherein the second satellite is a medium orbit satellite or a high orbit satellite,
• wherein the at least one of the data or the signaling does not comprise a header of a below-MAC-layer protocol layer.

A satellite, wherein the satellite is a medium orbit satellite or a high orbit satellite comprising an on-satellite system that comprises a media access control MAC entity and an above-MAC protocol layer entity, the MAC entity comprises another MAC layer function module other than a hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ function module and a random access RA function module, and the satellite comprises a processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory stores computer instructions, and when the processor executes the computer instructions, the satellite is enabled to:

• receive, at a media access control MAC layer or an above-MAC protocol layer, at least one of data or signaling, wherein the second satellite is a medium orbit satellite or a high orbit satellite, wherein the at least one of the data or the signaling does not comprise a header of a below-MAC-layer protocol layer;
• and
• perform, at the MAC layer, MAC-layer second processing on the data and/or the signaling, wherein the MAC-layer second processing comprises MAC layer function processing other than hybrid automatic repeat request HARQ function processing and random access RA function processing;
• and/or performing, by the second satellite, at the above-MAC protocol layer, above-MAC protocol layer processing on the data and/or the signaling.