Carleton University

Purpose

Private companies such as SpaceX, OneWeb, and Telesat are launching satellite mega-constellations to provide low-latency and high-throughput Internet access anywhere on Earth. Relying on inter-satellite optical links and satellite onboard computation capabilities, it is possible to conform resource-sharing satellite networks that efficiently deliver traffic while meeting the quality of service required by heterogeneous demands. However, since the conditions in space are highly dynamic and time-varying, it is not efficient to use traditional routing and transport protocols that were designed for stable terrestrial networks. In addition, the lack of access to realistic experimentation platforms limits the development, testing, and evaluation of innovative solutions. Therefore, this project proposes the development of a testbed to evaluate and demonstrate novel routing and transport schemes specifically designed for satellite mega-constellations. In particular, and as a distinctive feature, the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques is foreseen to cope with the conditions imposed by the highly dynamic space environment.