LAUSR

This paper conducts the performance analysis of a hybrid satellite-terrestrial cooperative network (HSTCN) having multi-antenna terrestrial relays. By assuming the availability of the direct link between the satellite and the destination, and considering the effects of hardware impairments (HIs) and interference on both relays and destination, we first propose a relay selection scheme to enhance the quality of the downlink transmission of the considered HSTCN. Then, we derive analytical expressions for the outage probability (OP) and throughput of the system using the proposed relay selection scheme. Furthermore, the asymptotic behavior of the HSTCN at high signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) is also investigated to reveal the diversity order and array gain of the system. Finally, computer simulation results are provided to show the effectiveness of the relay selection scheme. The analysis shows that the system performance is significantly affected by the HIs and interference.