1. Space Communication Architecture for Multi-party Enterprise Space Exploration Missions
Omar Y. Tahboub and Javed I. Khan
Networking and Multimedia Communication Lab
Computer Science Department
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio,
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2. Outline Introduction A Multi-party Space Enterprise Mission Model
Modern Lunar Missions
A Multi-party Enterprise Space Communication Network Architecture
Conclusion
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3. Outline Introduction A Multi-party Space Enterprise Mission Model
Modern Lunar Missions
A Multi-party Enterprise Space Communication Network Architecture
Conclusion
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4. Introduction A globally revived interest in lunar explorations.
Some recently planned lunar missions: Chandrayaan-1 [2, 3, 7] and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO [4].
The current state of space missions is commonly single national party.
The new age of space exploration missions will likely be multi-party and commercial [5].
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5. Introduction
Will enable a number of national agencies around the world to collaborate in various missions.
There has been a strong trend towards privatizing the space organization.
This will lead to the birth of a new generation of commercial space enterprises consisting of four industrial groups [5]:
Instrumentation
Experimentation
Deployment
Communication.
We first present a multi-party communication architectural for enterprise space missions.
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6. Introduction
Second, we describe the communication architecture for enterprise space explorations based on the three-zone galactic model [8, 9].
Third, present a space instrumentation data pipe communication model.
Through this model we identify three key communication patterns demanded by future explorations.
These patterns include:
Experimenter-to-Experimenter (E2E)
Instrument-to-Instrument (I2I)
Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2I)
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7. The Multi-Party Enterprise Model
Future space exploration will be operated and administered by multiple national and industrial parties.
This will cover various mission exploration phases that includes:
Planning
Launching
Deployment
Operation
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8. Outline Introduction A Multi-party Space Enterprise Mission Model
Modern Lunar Missions
A Multi-party Enterprise Space Communication Network Architecture
Conclusion
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9. The Multi-Party Enterprise Model
Instrumentation Group
Wide Angle Lunar Camera
Instrument Manufacturing Facility
Mission Operation Center
Deep Impact Redone
Deployment Group
Space Vehicle Manufacturing
Facility
Launch Pad
Experimentation Group
Satellite Manufacturing
Facility
National Space Agency
Mission Operation Center
Research Institute
Figure 1:The Multi-Party Space Exploration Model
User
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10. Outline Introduction A Multi-party Space Enterprise Mission Model
Modern Lunar Missions
A Multi-party Enterprise Space Communication Network Architecture
Conclusion and
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11. Modern Lunar Exploration Missions
In the near future, the world will witness a number of unmanned lunar missions
Administrated by different nations including the U.S, Russia, China and India [1].
Two modern lunar exploration missions are described
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission [4]
Chandriyyan-1 [3, 4,7].
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12. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission (LRO)
Regarded as NASA’s leading effort towards the returning of manned lunar missions.
The main goal of this mission is to closely observe and collect unprecedented imagery of the lunar surface.
The imagery data to be obtained from this mission will provide safety information for future manned lunar explorations.
Will effectively facilitate the identification of landing sites for the future lunar outposts.
LRO is multi-party at both national and industrial levels.
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13. Figure 2: The LRO Communication Network
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Figure 2: The LRO Communication Network

14. Chandriyyan-1
Premier Indian lunar exploration initiated by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
In collaboration with number nation parties [8]: USA, UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Finland.
Successfully deployed in the 2008.
Targeted to achieve three main objectives[4]:
Prepare a 3D atlas with spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10m
Map the lunar global surface for the main rock forming elements including a number of metals like Aluminum (Al) and Iron (Fe) at 10 km resolution.
Map high Z elements such as Radon (Rn), Uranium at 20 km resolution.
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15. Figure 3: The Chandrayyan-1 Communication Network
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Figure 3: The Chandrayyan-1 Communication Network

16. Outline Introduction A Multi-party Space Enterprise Mission Model
Modern Lunar Missions
A Multi-party Enterprise Space Communication Network Architecture
Conclusion
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17. The Multi-Party Space Communication Architecture
We Describe the communication Architecture serving the presented multi-party model.
We only consider the experimentation, instrumentation and communication groups.
The concept of Multi-party space exploration is described from the communication architecture perspective.
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18. The Three-Zone Space Communication Network Architecture
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Figure 4: The Space Network Architecture

19. The Single-Party Space Exploration Concept
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Figure 5: The Single-Party Space Exploration

20. Multi-Party Space Exploration Concept
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Figure 6: The Multi-Party Space Exploration

21. Communication-Centric Instrument Representation
Figure 7: Communication-centric representation of scientific instrument
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22. Communication-Centric Instrument Representation
Type
Usage
Data
Port
Instrument control, configuration, data storage
Signal, raw data (textual, numerical, imagery and equisetic )
Stream
Data Acquisition and Communication
Continuous data (Video and Audio)
Socket
Communication
Signal, raw data, multimedia
Table 1: Data entry types
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23. Communication-Centric Instrument Representation
A data pipe bundles one or more ports, streams and sockets.
Data pipes enables users (Experimenters) to reserve instrument resources for a specific period of time.
Figure 8: The data pipe bundling
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24. Communication-Centric Instrument Representation
One of more data pipes can be reserved by instrument vendor for maintenance and housekeeping purposes.
Inter-instrument communication within the onboard LAN can be implemented by one or more data pipes.
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Figure 9: Reserved data pipe concept

25. The Multi-Party Space Communication Architecture
Based on the communication-centric model, we decribe three groups of end-to-end communication patterns within this architecture:
Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2I)
Experimenter-to-Experimenter (E2E)
Instrument-to-Instrument (I2I)
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26. Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2E)
Figure 10: E2E communication
Experimenters within the same research parties communicate within their secured backbone ground network.
On the other hand, experimenters within different research parities would communicate through inter-GN network as shown in the figure below.
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27. Instrument-to-Instrument(I2I)
In future space exploration, experiments may involve more that a single instrument deployed onboard spacecraft.
These instruments may exploit a sort of data dependency requiring inter-instrument communication.
We described four scenarios of Instrument-to-Instrument Communication.
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28. Figure 11: I2I communication
Instrument-to-Instrument (I2I) A B C D
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Figure 11: I2I communication

29. Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2I)
Figure 12: (E2I) End-to-End Communication
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30. Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2I)
Figure 13: (E2I) Single Vendor Scenario
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31. Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2I)
Figure 14: (E2I) Multiple Vendor Scenario
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32. Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2I)
Figure 15: (E2I) Multiple Vendor- Connected Instrument Domain Scenario
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33. Experimenter-to-Instrument (E2I)
Figure 16: (E2I) Multiple Vendor- Disconnected Instrument Domains Scenario
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34. Outline Introduction A Multi-party Space Enterprise Mission Model
Modern Lunar Missions
A Multi-party Enterprise Space Communication Network Architecture
Conclusion and Future Work
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35. Conclusion
The new age of space exploration missions will have two main aspects: multi-party and commercial.
We first presented multi-party communication architecture for future enterprise space explorations.
Second, presented a communication-centric model for space instrumentation.
Finally, identified three orthogonal communication patterns.
E2E
I2I
E2I
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36. References
[1] List of future lunar missions, Wikipedia, url:
[2] Chandrayaan-1, Wikipedia
[3] Chandrayaan-1 Mission Sequence, url:
[4] Houghton, M. B., Tooley, C. R., Saylor, Jr, R. S., ”Mission Design and Operations for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter”, document: IAC-07-C1.7.06, 2007.
[5] Tahboub, O.,Khan, J., “A Cost Efficient Space Communication Architecture for Multiparty Enterprise Age of Space Exploration”, Presentation at the Northeast Ohio Networking Workshop (NEONet 2008), Cleveland, Ohio, 2008.
[6] Bhandari N., "Chandrayaan-1: Science goals", Journal of Earth System Science, Vol 114, Num 699, 2005.
[7] Foing, B. H., "The case for the first Indian robotic mission to the Moon", Current Science Vol 87, p , 2004.
[8] Khan, J., Tahboub, O., “A Reference Framework for Emergent Space Communication Architectures oriented on Galactic Geography”, Proceedings of AIAA Space Operations ‘08, Heidelberg, 2008.
[9] Tahboub, O.,Khan, J., “Recent Developments in Space Communication Architectures”, AIAA Regional Conference (Region III), Kalamazoo, Michigan,2008.
[10] EuroConsuly, “Government Space Markets, World Prospects to 2017”, Press Report, December 18, 2008.
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37. Thank You
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