Atheras Analytics Unveils DESIRISS: A Game-Changer for Satellite Network Design and Resilience

UK-based Atheras Analytics has launched the DESIRISS software suite—an advanced planning and simulation tool designed to optimize the performance and resilience of geostationary (GEO) satellite communication networks. The tool addresses critical challenges such as rain fade and radio frequency (RF) interference in high-frequency bands like Ka-band, offering operators a data-driven approach to maximize availability and throughput.

DESIRISS Overview: Targeting GEO Network Complexity

DESIRISS (Designing Satellite Networks for Resilience under Impairments from Spatially and Temporally Random Interference and Severe Storms) is tailored for operators of fixed GEO satellite systems operating in high-throughput configurations. These systems are especially vulnerable to atmospheric impairments—particularly at frequencies above 20 GHz—and the growing risk of RF interference due to spectrum congestion.

The tool allows users to simulate end-to-end network performance under varying environmental conditions by integrating historical meteorological data with proprietary propagation models. It supports both static planning scenarios and dynamic operational assessments.

Addressing Rain Fade and Atmospheric Attenuation in Ka-band

One of the primary challenges for Ka-band (26.5–40 GHz) satellite communications is rain fade—a form of signal degradation caused by precipitation. DESIRISS incorporates high-resolution climatological data from sources such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), enabling accurate modeling of site-specific attenuation over time.

The software evaluates how cloud cover, rainfall intensity, and geographical topography affect signal paths between ground stations and satellites. This allows operators to identify optimal gateway locations or implement adaptive coding/modulation schemes to maintain service levels during adverse weather events.

Simulating RF Interference Scenarios

With increasing orbital congestion—especially in popular GEO slots—the risk of adjacent satellite interference (ASI) or intentional jamming is rising. DESIRISS includes modules that model spatially-distributed interference sources across time windows. This enables users to simulate worst-case scenarios involving co-channel interference or cross-polarization leakage from neighboring satellites.

The system can ingest real-world spectral occupancy data or generate synthetic threat profiles based on known emitter behaviors. Combined with its propagation engine, this allows operators to assess link degradation margins under both benign and hostile conditions.

AI/ML Integration for Predictive Availability Modeling

Atheras has embedded machine learning algorithms into DESIRISS that analyze historical outage patterns alongside meteorological trends. This predictive capability enables proactive mitigation strategies—for example, pre-positioning backup gateways or dynamically rerouting traffic through less-affected beams during forecasted storms.

The AI models are trained on multi-year datasets covering diverse global regions, allowing them to generalize across different climate zones while retaining local specificity. The result is a more resilient network architecture with quantified availability metrics per ITU-T G.8271 standards.

Use Cases Across Civilian and Government Sectors

While initially aimed at commercial telecommunications providers deploying HTS payloads in Ka-band or Q/V-band ranges, DESIRISS has clear applicability for defense users as well:

• Tactical SATCOM Planning: Military planners can simulate theater-specific weather impacts on forward-deployed terminals using transportable gateways.
• Spectrum Management: National regulators can use the tool for licensing coordination by predicting aggregate interference footprints across multiple operators.
• SATCOM Resilience Assessment: Agencies responsible for critical communications infrastructure can evaluate redundancy strategies against natural disasters or cyber-physical threats targeting space assets.
• Dual-use Payload Optimization: Mixed civilian/military payloads can be optimized jointly under shared impairment models using common datasets within DESIRISS.

Atheras’ Broader Vision: Cloud-Native SATCOM Intelligence

Atheras Analytics positions itself at the intersection of space systems engineering and cloud-native analytics platforms. Beyond DESIRISS, the company is developing a broader suite of tools aimed at real-time monitoring of SATCOM health using telemetry ingestion pipelines combined with predictive analytics engines hosted on AWS GovCloud infrastructure.

This aligns with emerging trends in digital twin architectures for space assets—whereby live operational data feeds continuously update virtual models used for anomaly detection or mission planning. In this context, DESIRISS serves as both a pre-deployment design environment and a post-deployment diagnostic layer within an integrated SATCOM lifecycle management approach.