Metric for Systems Evaluation and Design of Satellite-Based Internet Links

A metric of the cost to maintain a 1.544 Mbps link is developed for systems evaluation of satellite based Internet links. The major limiting factors addressed are satellite power resources, achievable link margins, rain attenuation, and distributed market models. The life cycle costs are estimated for satellite design and construction, launch, insurance, gateways, gateway and control center operations, and terrestrial Internet connections. The cost per Tl minute to obtain a given internal rate of return is calculated from the achievable capacity and cost estimates. The metric is evaluated for five modeled systems in geosynchronou s and low Earth orbits to demonstrate the applicability of the metric to the systems engineering and design process. The metric shows the sensitivity of the systems to market variations and illustrates the criticality of beam placement and deployment strategies to minimize risk.