Constellations of low-earth orbit (LEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites may be used for providing various data-based services to an access node, such as user equipment (UE). Both LEO and MEO satellites may orbit the earth and may only have a line-of-sight to a portion of the earth's surface at a given time. Therefore, in order to provide continuous coverage over a geographic region, multiple LEO and/or MEO satellites are needed. Since these satellites orbit the earth, the position of LEO and MEO satellites are not fixed. UE attempting to communicate with a LEO or MEO satellite may need to determine a direction in which to point an antenna, either electronically or physically, in order to communicate with the orbiting satellite. Such a determination may be time consuming especially if the UE has been turned off or out of communication with the satellites for a significant period of time. The location determination can result in a significant amount of down-time before the UE locates and communicates with the LEO or MEO satellite.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds