Modules
ns3-ntn-toolkit ships 13 integrated ns-3 contrib modules that together simulate a complete 5G/6G non-terrestrial network - orbit to application layer. Every module is independently testable, ships its own examples, and builds from a single ./ns3 build. Pick the layer you research; the rest compose around it.
How to read this page. The modules are grouped by the part of the non-terrestrial stack they model. Each links to a deep-dive page with what it simulates, the 3GPP / ITU-R / O-RAN standards it aligns to, concrete use cases, and a runnable example.
Orbital & mobility plane
| Module |
What it simulates |
| ntn-constellation |
SGP4/SDP4 LEO/MEO/GEO orbit propagation from real Starlink / OneWeb / Kuiper / Iridium TLEs; Walker-Delta / Walker-Star mega-constellation generators; contact-graph routing. |
| ntn-sagin |
Space-air-ground integrated networks: HAPS station-keeping, UAV/drone patterns, aviation (ADS-B) and maritime (AIS) UE mobility, high-speed train channels. |
| ntn-v2x |
Vehicle-to-everything over LEO: vehicular UEs (SUMO traces), direct-vs-relay selection on measured SINR, V2X-NTN connectivity for rural and highway coverage. |
Protocol stack (L1–L3)
| Module |
What it simulates |
| ntn-rrc |
3GPP Rel-17/18 NR-NTN control plane: SIB19 ephemeris, common + UE-specific Timing Advance pre-compensation, GNSS UE location reporting, NTN-extended DRX. |
| ntn-cho |
Rel-17/18 conditional handover for LEO with the full NTN trigger set (A3, location condEventD1, time condEventT1, timing-advance, elevation, Rel-18 condEventD2) and a TTE-aware algorithm. |
| ntn-slice |
5G network slicing over NTN: eMBB / URLLC / mMTC slices sharing a real NR cell with per-slice measured SINR and SLA-breach detection over the LEO slant. |
Physical layer & channels
| Module |
What it simulates |
| thz-ntn |
100 GHz – 1 THz physics for NTN: HITRAN molecular absorption, ITU-R P.676/P.618/P.838 cascade, UM-MIMO, RIS, ISAC, EKF beam tracking. |
| ntn-sionna |
NVIDIA Sionna RT ray-traced channels bridged into ns-3: multi-tap CIR, Doppler synthesis, ITU-R atmospheric cascade, MIMO. |
| satellite (SNS3) |
The vendored CNES/Magister SNS3 base: SatSGP4 mobility, SatChannel, DVB-S2/S2X/RCS2 link results, inter-satellite links. |
Control, intelligence & operations
| Module |
What it simulates |
| oran-ntn + FlexRIC |
O-RAN Near-RT RIC + on-board Space RIC with xApps, real E2AP/E2SM ASN.1-PER over SCTP, FlexRIC bridge, measured TS 28.552 KPM. |
| ns3-ai-ntn |
AI/ML for satellite RANs: ns3-ai shared-memory bridge, Gymnasium environments, reinforcement-learning control loops. |
| ntn-observability |
Measured-KPI observability: InfluxDB + Grafana sinks, NetSimulyzer 3D export, Cesium globe, reproducibility manifests. |
| ntn-digital-twin |
Live constellation digital twin: real-time TLE propagation, FastAPI prediction service, closed-loop event driver. |
Each module page is a standalone deep dive. Start with the getting-started guide to build the whole toolkit, then jump to the layer you research.