Ad Hoc Routing for Nanostellite Constellation Communications

"The Air Force envisions the use of a cluster of cooperating satellites to enable cost-effective deployment of tomorrow's complex missions. This dynamic network environment requires the use of an ad hoc routing algorithm. Architecture Technology hasestablished the feasibility of the SARA algorithm for space-based satellite clusters. The goal of the Phase II effort is to implement and demonstrate a space-deployable version SARA in a laboratory setting.Replicating a wireless space network environment in a laboratory testbed, which is necessary for testing, debugging, and performance evaluation, is challenging. It is impossible to physically mimic the movement of the satellites in space in a testbedenvironment, but movement dynamics have significant impact on protocol performance as well as the application software that relies on these protocols.In addition to implementing a space-deployable version SARA, an emulation tool called the Agent-Based Space-Network Emulator (ABSNE) will also be developed; ABSNE will be used to demonstrate the capabilities and performance of ATC's SARA-based spacewireless networking services.ABSNE technology is critical not only for demonstrating protocols developed by this effort but also for testing, debugging, and evaluating the performance of other protocols and distributed applications such as those being developed under the TechSat-21initiative."