Prototyping IP Over CCSDS for Manned Space Applications
Michael Cheng, L. Clare · SpaceOps 2010 Conference · 2010
Substantial benefits are envisioned from the deployment of the Internet Protocol (IP) in space communications. IP’s ubiquitous presence in terrestrial networks promises advantages of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) technology and widely interfaced software, with human space exploration in particular as an early adopter. The underlying space communications protocols are established by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS), and the IP over CCSDS Working Group has determined the required interfaces. NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Network Integration and Engineering (NI&E) project has conducted prototyping and testing to advance IP over CCSDS. In this paper, we describe our experience in developing both software and hardware prototypes of IP over CCSDS. The interoperability testing among the various prototypes has been instrumental in accomplishing the CCSDS standardization and toward enabling the use of IP in future space networking.