Multicarrier Spread Spectrum for Mega-Constellation Satellite Networks: Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Trends

With the emerging concept of satellite mega-constellations (SatCons), connections are about to become faster and broader, building an engine to boost innovation and productivity for every industry. In the following decades, over a hundred of SatCons with enormous application potentials are on the cusp of deployment, and their long-term success hinges on reliable information exchanges. We identify the renascent multicarrier spread spectrum (MCSS) paradigm of sufficient spectral flexibility as the most effective and reasonable candidate for such issues. This article first sheds light on possible use cases for MCSS in SatCons, such as navigation-communication-telecontrol integration, physical-layer security, and intelligent anti-jamming. It also enlightens opportunities by virtue of the many benefits that MCSS may offer, and highlights major challenges encountered during its utilization. Finally, insights into future trends are provided. This article could support system designers in finding the right optimization priorities for future SatCons.