PhD Courses in Denmark

Description: Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites are at the forefront of a technological revolution in space communications, with multiple companies such as Space X, OneWeb, and Amazon deploying their own satellite constellations to provide global Internet connectivity. However, there are many more potential use cases, applications, and opportunities for satellite systems beyond Internet access. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of satellite communications and networking, along with novel use cases, applications, and technologies, which can be divided into two categories. The first category consists of use cases and applications inherited from terrestrial networks and fostered by the envisioned integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial communications systems, such as edge computing, integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), and artificial intelligence (AI)-as-a-service. The second category consists of space-native applications that benefit from recent development in satellite communications, such as Earth observation, space exploration, navigation, remote identification, and disaster management. 

Prerequisites: The students must be familiar with the basic concepts of wireless communications in one or more of the following areas: 1) propagation of radio waves; 2) wireless communications protocols at different layers; 3) network architectures and topologies. Knowledge about space communications, orbital mechanics, Earth observation, is not required.

Learning objectives: 

- Knowledge

• Fundamentals of wireless communications in space, including communication technologies, channel models, protocols, and challenges of satellite-to-ground and satellite-to-satellite links.

• Novel use cases and applications of satellites, including edge computing, Earth observation, artificial intelligence (AI)-as-a-service, including their requirements and SotA data processing techniques.

• Satellite form factors, platforms, payloads, subsystems, and basics of space flight, including satellite orbits, orbital design, and orbital mechanics (spatial and temporal sampling), drag effects and atmospheric effects.

• Different requirements for data and tele-control and tele-command communication, as well as the aspects that can lead to performance degradation.

• Opportunities and challenges for satellite edge computing and AI. Including edge computing and AI for satellite communications, as well as AI for space-native applications.

• Relevant AI models and algorithms for both training and inference to support network operations and user applications.

• Novel concepts of wireless communications in the space context, such as architectures such as Open-RAN, semantic and goal-oriented communications, integrated sensing and communications (ISAC), and digital twinning.

• An introduction to Earth Observation and satellite based remote sensing.

- Skills

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

• Identify the main technologies, protocols, mechanisms, and challenges for achieving global connectivity through satellite constellations. 

• Understand the diverse communications and data-related tasks that must be performed to fulfil the requirements of novel satellite-based applications.

• Understand how a selected set of environmental models operate, how these are supported by Earth observation, and the roadmap towards novel use cases such as ISAC and digital twinning.

• Identify the benefits, performance trade-offs, and challenges of semantic communications in satellite networks.

• Perform a basic design of satellite constellations regarding coverage and performance, including topologies and dimensioning and management of the communication links.

- Competences

• Use the fundamental aspects of relevant models, algorithms, and technologies related to satellite communications to formulate research questions and propose solutions to research problems on satellite communications.

Organizer: Israel Leyva Mayorga

Lecturers: Israel Leyva-Mayorga, Beatriz Soret, Jens Frederik Dalsgaard Nielsen, Ehsan Forootan, Maike Schumacher, and Yan Kyaw Tun

ECTS: 3

Time: May 5 - 8, 2025

Place: Aalborg University

Zip code: 9220

City: Aalborg

Maximal number of participants: 22

Deadline: April 14, 2025