Prospect of application of physical layer network coding in deep space communication

With the development of deep space exploration, data transmission task is getting heavier and heavier. Physical Layer Network Coding (PNC), as a new kind of frequency multiplexing transmission technology, can improve the system throughput and spectral efficiency by making use of the additive nature of simultaneously arriving electromagnetic waves for equivalent network coding operation in wireless cooperative environments, which meets the increasing requirements of data transmission capacity in deep space missions. In this paper, the basic principles of PNC were firstly introduced. Second, its benefits over traditional forward and straight forward network coding under two-way relay scenario were illustrated. Then, the applications of PNC in deep space communication were proposed. Finally, it was pointed out that PNC had good development trend in the deep space communication. But some technical difficult problems must be solved in practical project application for future deep space exploration.