Integrated Sensing and Communication from Space – Satellite Payload Hardware Aspects

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is a widely explored concept in the development of 6G terrestrial networks (TNs). Reuse of spectral resource and communication signal for sensing allow to provide value-added and extended services to end users. ISAC can create new value in 5G/6G nonterrestrial networks (NTNs) as well, and is identified as an emerging research area in satellite communication and Earth Observation (EO) communities. This paper introduces the study performed for comprehensive ISAC in space regarding use cases, applications and implementation aspects. Starting from ISAC applications in space, functional requirements and some key aspects for hardware implementation for spaceborne ISAC are addressed including comparison between communication and microwave RF sensing focusing on radar sensing in space.