NASA’s Advanced Communications Program:

An Opportunity for Disruption-Tolerant Networking

David Israel, Don Cornwell Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program

NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC

LLCD on LADEE (2013) Laser Comm Relay Demo (2018)

LEO Lasercom Terminal (2020)

Deep-Space Optical Comm

Terminal (2017)

SCaN Test Bed

On ISS (2012)

The Space Comm and Nav Program’s Test Bed

on ISS: Mission Objectives

2

• Conduct Experiment’s Program

– Experiments across communication, navigation, and networking; S-band, Ka-band, GPS, DTN

– Build/educate a group of waveform developers and repository of waveforms

• Validate Future Mission Capabilities

– TDRS K/L/M, USS-CR, SGSS

• Mature Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies and infrastructure for future SCaN architecture and NASA Missions

– Reconfigurable devices are part of our missions. Understanding their function both individually and within the system is critical

– Ready for space use/verification/reconfiguration/operations/new software/STRS/repository/etc.

2

DTN on the SCaN Test Bed on ISS

Objectives Implement DTN with CFDP in on-orbit platform Advance the state of DTN flight software and ground support for future DTN missions and services

Contribute software and advances back to the DTN community and userbase Implement secure DTN protocols with current state-of-the-art cryptographic standards suitable for

the space environment

Planned DTN Activities on SCaN Testbed for FY15/16

• Updated Experiment Plan for Secure DTN Innoflight SBIR

• Complete additional testing on-orbit (through SDR links)

• DTN software release to the flight system: Adds support for the CFDP protocol running on top of BP, based primarily on the existing ION Linux code for CFDP

• DTN software release to the flight system:

– Adds support for an LTP over ENCAP convergence layer to ION

– Re-uses the ENCAP interfaces developed for IP over CCSDS

– This is the ultimate version that will be used with CNES

• Simulation and demonstration of Secure DTN Components (DTN with SBSP and IPMEIR with ciphersuite-B) in laboratory configuration

• Testing with CNES

NASA needs more bandwidth to download more

science from space….

Picture of a Mars Rover Taken at

30 cm resolution

…at Victoria Crater

…on Mars

Chart courtesy of Don Boroson, MIT Lincoln Laboratory Approved for Public Release

To transmit a 30 cm resolution “Google” map of the

entire Martian surface (at 1 bit/pixel):

- The best RF (Ka-band) system would take 9 YEARS

- Lasercomm can do it in 9 WEEKS!

Lasercomm’s higher data rates can break through

today’s science data bottleneck

5

2014 R&D 100

Winning

Technology in

Communications

category

2014 Popular Mechanics

Breakthrough Award for

Leadership and

Innovation for LADEE

Nominated for the

National Aeronautic

Association's Robert

J. Collier Trophy

Winner of the

National Space

Club’s Nelson

P. Jackson

Award for 2015

2013: NASA’s First, Historic

Lasercom Mission

The Lunar Laser Communication

Demonstration (LLCD)

MIT Lincoln Laboratory, NASA GSFC,

NASA Ames, NASA JPL, and ESA