1. Satellite communications (SatComs) have recently seen a period of renewed interest due to technological advances and private investment.
2. This survey aims to capture the state of the art in SatComs, while highlighting the most promising open research topics.
3. New Space has spawned a large number of innovative broadband and earth observation missions, which require advances in SatCom systems.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy, as it provides an in-depth review of satellite communications (SatComs) and highlights the most promising open research topics. The article is well-structured, with each section providing detailed information on various aspects of SatComs such as system aspects, air interface, medium access techniques, networking and upper layers, testbeds & prototyping, etc. The authors also provide a tutorial approach when needed to ensure that readers can follow the material flow without reverting to external sources.
The article does not appear to be biased or one-sided in its reporting; rather it presents both sides equally by providing an overview of the current state of SatComs as well as potential future challenges and open research topics. Furthermore, the authors provide evidence for their claims by citing relevant literature throughout the article.
The only potential issue with this article is that it does not explore any counterarguments or alternative perspectives on SatComs; however this is understandable given that it is primarily focused on providing an overview of current developments and future challenges in this field. Additionally, there are no promotional content or partiality present in this article; rather it provides an objective overview of SatComs from both technical and application perspectives. Finally, possible risks associated with SatComs are noted throughout the article; for example, Section II discusses how new constellation types may pose additional communication challenges due to their size and latency requirements.