FLEX-SPACE: Designing 5G NTN with the whole system in mind

Building a 5G non-terrestrial network is no longer an exercise in assembling compatible components. It is a system design challenge, where architecture choices, integration paths, and performance trade-offs are tightly coupled.

The real difficulty is not knowing which technologies exist.It is understanding how those choices interact once the system is live.

FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN was created to make those interactions visible, before they turn into commitments.

Why system-level visibility matters

In most 5G NTN programs, progress begins with individual building blocks.Radio components are validated. Core functions are tested. Satellite effects are modelled.

Yet many of the most impactful risks do not emerge at component level. They appear when these elements interact under latency, mobility, satellite dynamics, and real protocol behaviour.

This is the point where design assumptions are either confirmed or challenged.

FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN addresses this gap by providing a controlled environment where the full 5G NTN system can be observed as a whole, rather than inferred from partial tests.

What FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN enables

FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN provides a complete private 5G non-terrestrial network environment where system behaviour can be evaluated end to end, using real network components and realistic satellite dynamics.

Delivered as a fully software-defined platform on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware, FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN brings complex NTN scenarios into the laboratory, where they can be explored, repeated, and compared without the cost and uncertainty of live field trials.

At the core of the platform is a tightly integrated system, powered by CELEOS, Lasting Software’s high-fidelity satellite channel emulation technology.

Within FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN, satellite channel effects directly influence scheduling decisions, mobility handling, handovers, latency, and end-to-end performance across the entire network.

This is where accurate channel modelling evolves into observable system behaviour.

From architecture choices to observable outcomes

When working with FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN, design discussions change.

Latency is no longer a budget estimated on paper.Mobility is no longer simplified for convenience.Satellite dynamics are no longer averaged out.

Instead, these factors can be explored under consistent, repeatable conditions, allowing teams to compare architectures, integration paths, and performance trade-offs using the same reference scenarios.

This shared, system-level view becomes critical when engineers, system architects, and decision-makers need to align around choices that are difficult to reverse later.

Built for the phase where decisions matter

FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN is a modular, scalable, and fully virtualized platform.Its satellite channel emulation component leverages GPU-accelerated channel emulation for real-time modelling of satellite dynamics, while the overall software-defined architecture supports a wide range of orbital configurations - including LEO, MEO, GEO, and fully custom user-defined orbits.

FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN, powered by CELEOS, enables a continuous validation path, from accurate satellite channel modelling to full system-level NTN evaluation.

This makes FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN suitable for early R&D, pre-deployment validation, and controlled experimentation across diverse mission profiles and operational concepts.

Who FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN is for

FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN is designed for teams who are past early exploration and need clarity they can act on:

·       system integrators shaping end-to-end architectures

·       research organizations preparing for scale and transition

·       satellite and telecom teams planning deployment paths

It supports informed decision-making before timelines, budgets, and architectures become difficult to change.

Design with confidence

FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN exists for the moment when understanding individual technologies is no longer enough and system behaviour becomes the deciding factor.

If you are working on 5G NTN, satellite-based connectivity, or hybrid terrestrial–space networks, FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN is designed to support that moment.

📩 Contact us at contact@lastingsoftware.com to explore FLEX-SPACE 5G NTN or request a demo.