Space Mission Characteristics and Requirements to be Addressed by Space-Data Router Enhancement of Space-Data Exploitation

Abstract

Data distribution and access are major issues in space sciences as they influence the degree of data exploitation. The project “Space-Data Routers” (SDR) has the aim of allowing space agencies, academic institutes and research centres to share space data generated by single or multiple missions, in an efficient, secure and automated manner. The approach of SDR relies on space internetworking – and in particular on Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN), which marks the new era in space communications, unifies space and earth communication infrastructures and delivers a set of tools and protocols for space-data exploitation. The project includes the definition of limitations imposed by typical space mission scenarios in which the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) is currently involved, including space exploration, planetary exploration and Earth observation missions. In this paper, we present the mission scenarios and the associated major SDR expected impact from the proposed space-data router enhancements.