Efficient networking in an integrated HAP and mobile satellite system with optical links

Non-geostationary mobile satellite systems integrated with High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) may have great potential in the next generation telecommunication services. In this paper, we focus on establishment of optical links between HAPs and mobile satellites with limited number of optical transmitters. We formulate an optimization problem for matching HAPs and satellites in such a way that the utilization of HAPs is maximized together with the average elevation angle between HAPs and satellites. We also propose a method to avoid frequent switching of optical links. We solve the problem in a sample scenario for various system parameters, and discuss the reasonable selection of these variables.