CubeSat Networks: Balancing Energy Consumption with Data Throughput Through Protocol Optimization
- Paper number
IAC-17,B2,3,6,x36756
- Year
2017
- Abstract
Multi-CubeSat missions are gaining increasing popularity and offer the possibility of vastly advancing the platforms capabilities. Networked CubeSats advance such missions by allowing varying degrees of, potentially autonomous, coordination and collaboration. Existing network simulation and analysis in this area deals largely with sanitized scenarios. Such scenarios often make a number of practical assumptions in order to decrease model complexity by omitting complicating factors of space bound networks consisting of low power relatively fragile nodes. These assumptions are general highly reasonable, such as assuming fixed orbital parameters, constant power availability, constant ground station access and so on. This work presents an exploration of the practicalities of increasing CubeSat network simulation fidelity while attempting to optimize for an expected core performance characteristic of CubeSat networks. This expectation is founded on a generalised scientific mission objective which aims to retrieve as much data as possible from orbiting CubeSats. Using a series of network simulations modified from accepted terrestrial practices we present an analyses of networking protocol enhancements which, in a battery and mobility sensitive manner, aims to maximize the data throughput from CubeSat networks. This work further introduces well developed terrestrial wireless communication approaches into the context of CubeSat networks; offering both an approach for increased fidelity simulations of such networks and potential practical advancements in networking protocol design.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)