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Modeling of Multi-Hop DTN-Based Lunar Communications for the Evaluation of Traffic Prioritization

Authors:
Klara Schaper
Teresa Algarra Ulierte
Andreas Timm-Giel
Felix Flentge

Keywords: Solar System Internet (SSI); Delay- and Disruption Tolerant Networks (DTN); Bundle Protocol (BP); space communications; lunar communications; traffic prioritization

Abstract:
The use of the Moon-to-Earth communica- tion link is expected to increase in the coming years due to the various planned missions. As a result, the infras- tructure specifically designed for the challenges of the space environment has to be further developed. More precisely, the Delay- and Disruption-Tolerant Network ( DTN ) with Bundle Protocol (BP) needs to be adapted to cope with the high transmission rate and the limited bandwidth. This includes the assessment of Quality of Service (QoS), especially traffic prioritization, which is the focus of this work. The state-of-the-art channel modeling for the Earth-to-Moon link is extended to model multi-hop scenarios. The model takes into account the differences between space-based communication and atmospheric entry, thus enhancing the realism of the results. Simulations for one-hop, two-hop, and three- hop paths showed a positive impact on the performance of high priority bundles. Additionally, it was found that the improvement due to traffic prioritization was linked to the routing chosen, suggesting that high priority information should be sent over fewer hops while low priority information should be forwarded over longer routes. The study concludes that traffic prioritization is recommended for situations in which high priority packages need to be delivered within a certain time threshold, and it emphasizes linking routing to the priority.

Pages: 5 to 11

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2025

Publication date: May 18, 2025

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4480

ISBN: 978-1-68558-276-0

Location: Nice, France

Dates: from May 18, 2025 to May 22, 2025