IGSO constellation based polar satellite communication: system design, performance analysis, and LLM-based adaptive transmission

Reliable communication is essential for supporting scientific exploration, navigation, and ocean-going voyages in the Arctic region. However, the vast geographical distances and extreme climatic conditions pose significant technical challenges. In this paper, an Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO) constellation-enabled polar satellite communication system is investigated to address these challenges. First, a small-scale IGSO satellite constellation is designed to serve as a single-hop relay between the Arctic and China, and a comprehensive polar channel model incorporating atmospheric rain attenuation and ionospheric scintillation is formulated to characterize key Arctic propagation impairments. Then, the coverage performance and co-visibility durations are analyzed to evaluate the system’s service capability and determine the minimum satellite deployment required to guarantee uninterrupted transmission. Furthermore, link performance is assessed under varying link-availability constraints, considering diverse terminal characteristics and application requirements. Finally, to enhance transmission efficiency and reliability, an intelligent Adaptive Transmission Mechanism (ATM) enabled by a Large Language Model (LLM) is proposed. Simulation results demonstrate that a three-satellite IGSO constellation is sufficient to sustain continuous Arctic-China communication coverage. With a 1.2-m-aperture polar terminal, the IGSO system achieves a maximum link availability of 99.95%. Moreover, the LLM-based ATM improves the achievable data rate by up to 47.03% compared with conventional transmission schemes.