A Roadmap to Future Space Connectivity

This book provides an overview of the latest R&D advancements in the field of ICT technologies inherent to a New Space vision. The book presents a system-level and technology-level description of future space networking and communications. The authors also expand the vision to interplanetary networks. The book spans hardware and software technologies for future space communication networks, also considering very modern paradigms like quantum technologies and Softwarization. In the book, the word “space” is intended in a wider sense than the usual “satellite communications”, including new and partially unexplored fields like quantum space communications, interplanetary communications, and extra-terrestrial Radio Access Networks (RANs). The book includes applications including Internet of Space Things, Tactile Internet/Digital twins for Space and discusses future challenges like those involved by the concept of “sustainable Space”.

• Provides an overview of the latest R&D advancements in the field of ICT technologies inherent to a New Space vision;
• Considers visions and perspectives of space technology, including a through overview of satellite communications;
• Presents a system-level overview of future space networking and communications.

Claudio Sacchi was born in Genoa (Italy) in 1965. He received the “Laurea” degree in Electronic Engineering and the Ph.D. in Space Science and Engineering from the University of Genoa, Italy, in 1992 and 2003, respectively. From 1996 to 2002, he was a Research Cooperator with the Department of Biophysical and Electronic Engineering (DIBE), University of Genoa, and with the National Italian Consortium in Telecommunications (CNIT), managing project activities in the field of multimedia surveillance systems and satellite communications. In August 2002, he joined the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science (DISI), University of Trento, Italy, as an Assistant Professor. He was promoted to Associate Professor in December 2020. He has authored and coauthored more than 140 papers published in international journals and conferences. He is a member of the IEEE ComSoc, IEEE BTS, IEEE VT, and IEEE AESS. His research interests are mainly focused on wideband mobile and satellite transmission systems based on space, time and frequency diversity, MIMO systems, array processing, multi-rate and multi-access wireless communications, EHF broadband aerospace communications, software radio and cognitive radio, radio communications for emergency recovery applications. In 2011, he was a Guest Editor of the special issue of PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE: “Aerospace Communications: History, Trends and Future” and the featured topic special issue of IEEE COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE: “Toward the Space 2.0 Era” in 2015.  Since 2019, he has been coordinating and chairing the IEEE AESS technical panel: “Glue Technologies for Space Systems” that was awarded by AESS as “Outstanding Panel of the Year” in 2020 and 2021. Since January 1st, 2023, Claudio Sacchi has got the double affiliation with University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) as Research Professor. 


Fabrizio Granelli is a Professor at the Dept. of Information Engineering and Computer Science (DISI) of the University of Trento (Italy), IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer and Chair of the Joint IEEE VTS/ComSoc Italian Chapter. He got the national full-professorship habilitation in 2017.He received the «Laurea» (M.Sc.) and Ph.D. degree from the University of Genoa, Italy, in 1997 and 2001, respectively. Since 2000 he has collaborated with the University of Trento (Italy), currently as coordinator of the Networking Laboratory. Between 2004 and 2015 for a total of six months, he was visiting professor at the State University of Campinas (Brasil) and in 2016 he was visiting professor at the University of Tokyo (Japan).  He was IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer for the period 2012-15 (2 terms), ComSoc Director for Online Content in 2016-17, Delegate for Education at DISI in 2015-2017, and IEEE ComSoc Director for Educational Services (2018-19). Prof. Granelli is Founder and General Vice-Chair of the First International Conference on Wireless Internet (WICON’05) and General Chair of the 11th, 15th and 18th IEEE Workshop on Computer-Aided Modeling, Analysis, and Design of Communication Links and Networks (IEEE CAMAD ’06 - ’10 - ’13). He is TPC Co-Chair of GLOBECOM 2007-2009 and 2012 Symposia on “Communications QoS, Reliability and Performance Modeling”, TPC Co-Chair of GLOBECOM 2014 Symposium on “Selected Areas in Communications – Green Communications Track” and TPC Co-Chair of IEEE ICC 2018 Symposium on “Green Communications and Networking”. He is TPC Co-Chair of the IEEE NFV SDN conference in 2018 and 2019. He was selected a TPC Chair for IEEE Globecom 2022. Since 2019, he is Founding Chair of the Aerial Communication Emerging Technology Initiative of IEEE Communications Society. He is author or co-author of more than 250 papers published in international journals, books and conferences. He is Associate Editor in Chief of IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials, and Area Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking. He was responsible for more than 2 million of Euros of research funding for the University of Trento, mostly from the European Union and other international bodies.

Riccardo Bassoli is a senior researcher with the Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden (Germany). He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in telecommunication engineering from University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy) in 2008 and 2010 respectively. Next, he received his Ph.D. degree from 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC) at University of Surrey (UK), in 2016. Between 2011 and 2015, he was also a Marie Curie Early-Stage Researcher at Instituto de Telecomunicações (Portugal) and a vis‐ iting researcher at Airbus Defence and Space (France). Next, between 2016 and 2019, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Trento (Italy).

Frank H.P. Fitzek is a professor and Head of the Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks at Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), also coordinating the 5G Lab Germany. He is the spokesman of the DFG Cluster of Excellence CeTI. He received his diploma (Dipl.‐Ing.) degree in electrical engineering from the University of Technology – Rheinisch‐Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH), Aachen, Germany, in 1997 and his Ph.D. (Dr.‐Ing.) in electrical engineering from the Technical University Berlin, Germany in 2002 and became adjunct professor at the University of Ferrara, Italy in the same year. In 2003 he joined Aalborg University as an associate professor and later became professor.

Marina Ruggieri is Full Professor of Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Roma “Tor Vergata” and therein co-founder and Chief Strategic Innovation Officer (CSIO) of CTIF – an Interdisciplinary Research Center on Information and Communications Technology and its verticals.  She has been Vice President of the ASI Technical and Scientific Council and member of the MIUR Research Policy Experts Advisory and arbitrator of the Italian Industries Federation for Aerospace, Defense and Security (AIAD). She is Principal Investigator of the 40/50 GHz TPD#5 Communications Experiment on board Alphasat (launched in July 2013). She is IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS) Officer and member of the Board of Governors (2019-2021). She is an IEEE Technical Expert recognized as 2019 “Impact Creator” in Information and Communications Technology. She is 2021 Vice President, AESS Technical Operations.  She has been IEEE 2017 Vice President, Technical Activities; 2014-2015 Director of IEEE Division IX; 2010-2011 AESS President. She received: 1990 Piero Fanti International Prize; 2009 Pisa Donna Award for women in engineering; 2013 Excellent Women in Roma Award; 2011 AESS Service Award. She has been inducted in 2015 as a Professional into the IEEE Honor Society Eta Kappa Nu. She is IEEE Fellow “for contributions to millimeter-wave satellite communications”. She is author/co-author of more than 350 papers, 1 patent and 12 books.