Space-based network architectures for satellite radiotelephone systems

A space-based network according to claim 14 wherein the at least one receive-only satellite and/or the at least one transmit and receive satellite comprises at least one receive antenna that is about 24 meters in diameter.

A space-based network according to claim 16 wherein the at least one transmit and receive satellite comprises a transmit antenna and a receive antenna.

A space-based network according to claim 16 wherein the at least one transmit and receive satellite comprises a transmit and receive antenna and a receive antenna.

A space-based network according to claim 14 further comprising a feeder link signal generator that is configured to combine signals that are received by an antenna into a feeder link signal that is transmitted to a gateway in a plurality of substantially orthogonal dimensions and/or polarizations.

A space-based network for a satellite radiotelephone system comprising more receive satellite antennas than transmit satellite antennas;

• wherein at least one of the receive satellite antennas is configured to receive wireless communications from a radiotelephone over at least two substantially orthogonal polarizations.

A space-based network for a satellite radiotelephone system comprising:

• at least one satellite configured to receive wireless communications from a radiotelephone and to transmit wireless communications to the radiotelephone;
• wherein the at least one satellite is configured to receive the wireless communications from the radiotelephone over at least two substantially orthogonal polarizations.

A space-based network for a satellite radiotelephone system comprising an equal number of receive and transmit satellites;

• wherein at least one of the receive satellites is configured to receive wireless communications from a radiotelephone over at least two substantially orthogonal polarizations.

A space-based network for a satellite radiotelephone system comprising an equal number of receive and transmit satellite antennas;

• wherein at least one of the receive satellite antennas is configured to receive wireless communications from a radiotelephone over at least two substantially orthogonal polarizations.

A radiotelephone for a space-based network that is configured to receive communications from the radiotelephone over at least two substantially orthogonal polarizations, wherein the radiotelephone is configured to transmit information to the space-based network using substantially linearly polarized electromagnetic energy.

A space-based network that is configured to transmit information to a radiotelephone using substantially Right-Hand Circularly Polarized (RCP) or Left Hand circularly Polarized (LHCP) electromagnetic energy and receive information from the radiotelephone using substantially RHCP and LHCP electromagnetic energy.

A space-based network comprising at least one gateway and at least one satellite;

• wherein the at least one gateway is configured to receive from the at least one satellite over at least one feeder link a user signal;
• the user signal being provided to the at least one feeder link and/or to the at least one gateway by a plurality of polarizations and/or a plurality of antenna patterns.

A space-based network comprising at least one gateway and at least one satellite;

• wherein the at least one gateway is configured to receive from the at least one satellite over at least one feeder link a user signal;
• the user signal being provided to the at least one feeder fink and/or to the at least one gateway by a plurality of substantially distinct dimensions and/or substantially distinct physical paths.

A space-based network comprising at least one gateway and at least one satellite;

• wherein the at least one gateway is configured to receive from the at least one satellite over at least one feeder link a user signal;
• the user signal being received over the at least one feeder link via a plurality of substantially distinct dimensions and/or substantially distinct physical paths;
• wherein the gateway is configured to process elements of the user signal received over the at least one feeder link via the plurality of substantially distinct dimensions and/or substantially distinct physical paths.

A space-based network comprising at least one satellite and at least one gateway, wherein the at least one satellite is configured to provide to the at least one gateway over at least one feeder link a plurality of elements of a user signal received at the satellite from a radiotelephone via a plurality of substantially distinct physical paths and/or substantially distinct dimensions.

A radiotelephone configured to communicate with a space-based network comprising at least one satellite and at least one satellite gateway;

• the radiotelephone being configured to communicate with the at least one satellite of the space-based network by transmitting substantially Left Hand Circularly Polarized (LHCP) and Right Hand Circularly Polarized (RHCP) electromagnetic energy.

A space-based network comprising at least one satellite and at least one gateway;

• the space-based network configured to communicate with at least one radiotelephone that communicates with the at least one satellite by transmitting substantially Left Hand Circularly Polarized (LHCP) and Right Hand Circularly Polarized (RHCP) electromagnetic energy;
• the space-based network comprising at least one processor at the at least one satellite and/or at the at least one gateway configured to improve and/or optimize a communications performance measure associated with the at least one radiotelephone.

A space-based network comprising a plurality of satellites wherein a number of satellites that are configured to receive communications from radiotelephones is greater than a number of satellites that are configured to transmit communications to radiotelephones.

A space-based network comprising at least one satellite and at least one gateway;

• wherein the at least one gateway is configured to receive a plurality of signals from the at least one satellite over at least one feeder link via a plurality of substantially distinct dimensions and/or a plurality of substantially distinct spatial paths;
• at least one signal received at the at least one gateway containing interference and wherein the at least one gateway comprises an interference reducer configured to reduce the interference of the at least one signal by jointly processing the at least one signal and at least one other signal received by the at least one gateway from the at least one satellite over the at least one feeder link via the plurality of substantially distinct dimensions and/or the plurality of substantially distinct spatial paths.

A space-based network comprising at least one satellite and at least one gateway;

• wherein the at least one gateway is configured to receive a plurality of signals from the at least one satellite over at least one feeder link via a plurality of substantially distinct dimensions and/or a plurality of substantially distinct spatial paths, and wherein the at least one satellite is configured to pre-compensate at least one signal of the plurality of signals prior to transmission over the at least one feeder link via the plurality of substantially distinct dimensions and/or substantially distinct spatial paths responsive to an error measure received at the at least one satellite from the at least one gateway.

A space-based network for a satellite radiotelephone system comprising:

• at least one satellite that is configured to receive and transmit wireless communications from/to radiotelephones;
• wherein the at least one satellite is configured to receive wireless communications from the radiotelephones over at least two substantially orthogonal polarizations substantially simultaneously.