The path to space-terrestrial internetworking

A fundamental challenge for the information age is to extend networked communication and its benefits (increased quality of life, better understanding and utilization of our planet, more efficient industry) across the globe. One obstacle to that challenge is the fact that the majority of the Earth and its space environs cannot support the timely, reliable, low-cost telecommunications infrastructure that currently enables rapid growth. We address the question of whether adding spacecraft as nodes in a global network sustains the financial and technological progress necessary to overcome this obstacle. Space-based networked nodes, offer unique technical advantages for global coverage and are approaching, at scale, economic feasibility. Such approaches provide the critical communications infrastructure for a step increase in our use of space, and provide a complementary resource for global terrestrial coverage. However, the vision of space-terrestrial internetworking is threatened by the lack of a converging vision for how such a network would operate. We propose a logical architecture, informed by the evolution of terrestrial cellular networks, that provides a unifying vision of space networking that considers existing infrastructure, unique spacecraft constraints, and the capabilities that make such an internetwork useful. We further provide a roadmap for organizing the space networking community in an attempt to avoid the inefficiencies of proprietary, non-interoperable network constellations. We conclude that spacecraft can provide a compelling way to network those portions of our planet that lack infrastructure and efficiently disseminate common information to large populations.

I. Introduction

In this information age, techniques that provide more timely access to relevant information herald new and beneficial adaptations in human activities. Social networking, tele-robotics, telemedicine, distance learning, and even self-driving cars are examples of how more and more rapid communications change everyday aspects of our lives. Research disciplines such as computer networking optimize the financial and technological efficiencies for terrestrial communication. To sustain the rate of progress in this area, new approaches must be adopted, such as investments in free-space optical systems and highly mobile network nodes to provide coverage in challenged environments [1].