Outline the technology this activity addresses including the technical work to be undertaken. Briefly indicate the implementation schedule and requested budget.
This activity addresses the advancement of Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) for next-generation space communication. The main problem addressed by DTN solutions are the intermittent connectivity and long delays in space communication.
The current downlink model for small to medium satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is limited by ground station availability, making the use of solutions like Bundle Protocol (BP) necessary to ensure data delivery. We propose to use existing LEO infrastructure, such as OneWeb, Iridium, and Iris² to minimize the disruptions, both in amount and time. A more detailed explanation of the technology can be found in Annex 2.
The goal is to create a de-facto standard for downlink in small to medium LEO missions, and to enable seamless, resilient, and high-throughput internet in space. The proposed architecture is a connectivity management module that will be integrated into the satellite’s communication stack.
The module will be responsible for intelligently selecting and establishing links to relevant available Space Internet Providers (SIP), ensuring stable and reliable data transfer. The module will interface with standard 3GPPP-compatible radio interfaces for Non-Terrestrial Networks, with the option of extending to proprietary interfaces used by some LEO infrastructure. The project will span over 24 months, with a budget of 200,000 EUR
Why is the development of this technology a priority to you company/organization? How will you develop this opportunity during and after the activity? What happens next (please include a timeline)?
We are a startup dedicated to revolutionizing connectivity for small and medium satellites in LEO by lowering the barriers to entry for satellite communications and enabling always-on connectivity in space. The current model forces standalone satellite operators to invest heavily in ground station infrastructure, a costly and inefficient requirement. Our innovative product saves the cost of ownership of ground communication infrastructure as well as eliminates the need for extensive ground station management, streamlines the downlink design process, and facilitates real-time data services for LEO operators.
To achieve these goals, we are applying to the GSTP program to develop a Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) solution, as we believe that our solution plays a key role in the future solar system internet. In the near term, our focus will be on collaborating with prominent European mega-constellations and Danish satellite manufacturers for seamless integration in upcoming missions. This project marks the initial phase of our strategic roadmap, which ultimately aims to establish a seamless, resilient, and high-throughput communication network in space, thereby significantly lowering entry barriers and bolstering Europe’s competitive stance in the space sector.
[TIMELINE IS NOT FINAL] Our development will follow a structured timeline: the first 6 months will focus on system architecture, design specification, and partner onboarding. The subsequent 12 months will cover subsystem development, iterative testing, and integration with simulated mission environments. By month 24, we aim to be fully ready for pilot integrations with early adopters, setting the stage for real-world validation and operational scaling beyond the project’s formal end.
Detail the strategic, economic, social, etc. benefit this activity has to you company?
This funding is critical to accelerating our development roadmap. It will enable us to bring our core technology to market faster and more efficiently, creating a competitive edge against established companies. By reducing time-to-market, we can secure vital partnerships, enhance our intellectual property portfolio, and better position ourselves within a rapidly evolving global landscape.
Economically, the accelerated development brought by this grant will lower entry barriers in a market that has long been dominated by larger players. The improved efficiency and faster realization of revenue streams will allow us to reinvest in further research and development, laying the foundation for sustained long-term growth.
Accelerating this technology not only benefits our company but also boosts the global competitiveness of European mega-constellations. By enhancing our capabilities, we support a collaborative ecosystem that strengthens both individual market positions and Europe’s overall presence in the space sector.
Socially, the project promises substantial positive impacts. Improved technology can lead to better weather forecasting and increased security, delivering significant benefits to a range of sectors, including farming, defense, environmental monitoring, and disaster management. Additionally, advancing this technology will contribute to European autonomy.
Describe the financial commitment required for this activity. Include a breakdown by company/organization, showing member state, work packages etc. where appropriate.
The project begins with Work Package 1 (WP 1), a [X-month] effort funded at [Salary × X], which focuses on integrating core technologies into a simulation environment to evaluate the performance, scalability, and interoperability of the proposed architecture. Key deliverables include a functional simulation framework with integrated components.
Building on this, Work Package 2 (WP 2) spans [Y months] with a budget of [Salary × Y], dedicated to advancing core technology development and prototyping. This phase includes iterative design and creation of intellectual property (IP). The primary outcome will be a functional prototype demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed technologies.
Work Package 3 (WP 3), allocated [Z months] and [Salary × Z], includes rigorous analysis and validation of the architecture within Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN) scenarios. Activities include comparative performance assessments between legacy systems and the new architecture, and simulations of multi-satellite networks leveraging multiple constellations. Deliverables here encompass a detailed performance comparison report, and simulation results highlighting network cohesion across constellations.
[Unsure of this one] Finally, Work Package 4 (WP 4) ([V months]; [Salary × V]) integrates the system with physical hardware to enable Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulations, ensuring real-world validation of performance. This phase will include testing using testers of NTN produced by partners of the Space Connect North, [such as Rhode & Schwartz and Keysight]. This phase produces documentation for the HIL testbed setup and a validation report derived from hardware-integrated testing.
APPENDIX / ANNEX
Who is involved ?
- Jens & Albert
- Two electronics engineering master students from Aalborg University, with a focus on wireless communication.
- Have worked on satellites throughout our studies.
- Have done their long master thesis on this topic.
- Who are we etc.
- List of supervisors / mentors / advisors
- Israel: Israel Leyva-Mayorga (Member, IEEE) received the B.Sc. degree in telematics engineering and the M.Sc. degree (Hons.) in mobile computing systems from the Instituto Polit´ecnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico, in 2012 and 2014, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree (cum laude and extraordinary prize) in telecommunications from the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Spain, in 2018. He was a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Communications, UPV, in 2014, and at the Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks, Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany, in 2018. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Connectivity Section (CNT) of the Department of Electronic Systems, Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark, where he served as a Postdoctoral Researcher from January 2019 to July 2021. He is an Associate Editor for IEEE WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS LETTERS and a Board Member for one6G. His research interests include beyond-5G, and 6G networks, satellite communications, and random and multiple access protocols
- Jens:
- Have participated in the cubesat revolution and led the well known AAU SATLAB. CV: [Insert the table the right way]
- Petar:
Petar Popovski (Fellow, IEEE) is a Professor at Aalborg University, where he heads the section on Connectivity and a Visiting Excellence Chair at the University of Bremen. He received his Dipl.-Ing and M. Sc. degrees in communication engineering from the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje and the Ph.D. degree from Aalborg University in 2005. He received an ERC Consolidator Grant (2015), the Danish Elite Researcher Award (2016), the IEEE Fred W. Ellersick Prize (2016), the IEEE Stephen O. Rice Prize (2018), the Technical Achievement Award from the IEEE Technical Committee on Smart Grid Communications (2019), the Danish Telecommunication Prize (2020) and Villum Investigator Grant (2021). He was a Member at Large of the Board of Governors of IEEE Communication Society 2019-2021. He is currently an Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications and a Chair of the IEEE Communication Theory Technical Committee. His research interests are in the area of wireless communication and communication theory. He authored the book ”Wireless Connectivity: An Intuitive and Fundamental Guide
- Their qualifications
- Background in the industry
- Involvement in the project
Technical specification
In the legacy connectivity paradigm LEO satellites gather data throughout it’s orbit, however communication with the satellite is only possible when it’s passing a ground station. This means critical data has to wait for a ground station pass to be downlinked. This results in intermittent connectivity and long delays. However every second several opportunities to establish a connection to the ground flys by overhead. If these opportunities can be utilized the connectivity of LEO satellites can be improved significantly. The legacy connectivity paradigm can be seen in the following figure.
Our new connectivity paradigm utilizes existing infrastructure in space to essentially connect LEO satellites to the internet. The new communication paradigm can be seen in the following figure.legacy_topology
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Earth observation satellite
Private Ground station
Constellation 1
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This enables a link which has higher throughput throughout the day and lower latency. A sketch of the characteristics of the two connectivity paradigms can be seen below.New_topology
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Earth observation satellite
Ground station
Constellation 1
Constellation 2
Edge compute satellite
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throughput_legacy_vs_new
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Legacy communication topology
New communication topology
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To enable this new paradigm a new architecture has to be used. This can be seen in the following figure:
The new architecture contains the following elements:Drawing 2025-04-09 14.41.48.excalidraw
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LEO Satellite Payload
Connectivity Management Module
Radio module
LEO Satellite
User IP
Our IP
3rd Party IP
Standard Interface
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- LEO satellite The LEO satellite is a satellite typically generating data, this could be for Earth observation or other things.
- Connection management system
As there there can be several different constellation satellites visible at any given time a module is needed to facilitate the connection.
- Since the progression of the orbits of both the LEO satellite and the constellation satellites is deterministic, different characteristics of the link between any two satellites can be estimated. These characteristics inform the decision of which link to choose.
- Radio module The connection management module controls the radio which will then transmit the data
- Mega-constellation The data is then handed off to the mega constellation, through which the data is routed to the destination.
- Destination user Here the destination user(s) can access the data. The destination user(s) could be ground users but also other satellites in LEO. This could be edge compute centers or other similar satellites thereby creating a virtual inter satellite link.
Interfaces
- Block diagram of “placement” of technology in current system infrastructure
- Interfaces that we use / expose
- (Vague description of optimization objective)
- Unsure if this is too specific
Architectural overview
The figure below shows the Connectivity Management Module (CMM) in respect to the relevant satellite subsystems.
The CMM receives data from the satellite’s payload, and other subsystems. The CMM is responsible for establishing and maintaining the connection to the relevant Space Internet Provider (SIP). The CMM interfaces with the satellite’s radio module through a standardized radio interface.Drawing 2025-04-09 14.41.48.excalidraw
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LEO Satellite Payload
Connectivity Management Module
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LEO Satellite
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Our IP
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In the context of the OSI model, the CMM operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2). The module recieves Layer 3 packets from the payload and mimics the Layer 2 representation expected by the recieving SIP node. [INSERT OSI MODEL MAYBE?]
In the context of the LEO satellite network, the CMM facilitates the connection to the SIP node, whereafter the SIP is responsible for routing the data to a ground station, and subsequently to the end user. This model is illustrated in the figure below.
This approach allows for a seamless integration of the CMM into existing satellite architectures, while also providing the flexibility to adapt to different SIPs and communication protocols in a modular fashion. The CMM is designed to be agnostic to the specific SIP used, allowing for easy integration with different providers and protocols. This modularity enables the CMM to adapt to the evolving landscape of space communication, ensuring long-term viability and relevance in the rapidly changing space industry.New_topology
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Earth observation satellite
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Maskinens forslag:
The figure below illustrates the Connectivity Management Module (CMM) in relation to the relevant satellite subsystems.
Drawing 2025-04-09 14.41.48.excalidraw
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LEO Satellite Payload
Connectivity Management Module
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LEO Satellite
User IP
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The CMM is a key subsystem responsible for managing connectivity between the satellite and the designated Space Internet Provider (SIP). It receives data from the satellite’s payload and other onboard systems and ensures robust and continuous communication with the SIP. This is achieved through a standardized interface with the satellite’s radio module, ensuring compatibility with various radio units and reducing integration complexity.
Functionally, the CMM operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model. It receives Layer 3 network packets from the payload and encapsulates them in the Layer 2 format expected by the SIP’s infrastructure. This abstraction enables the CMM to interface seamlessly with multiple SIP implementations without requiring changes to the payload or other upstream systems.
Within a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network context, the CMM is responsible for establishing and maintaining the connection to the SIP node in orbit. Once the link is established, the SIP takes the responsibility of routing the data via its satellite network to the end user.
New_topology
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Earth observation satellite
Ground station
Constellation 1
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This architecture offers significant advantages in terms of modularity and interoperability. The CMM ha<s been designed to be SIP-agnostic, supporting a wide range of providers and protocols. This design philosophy facilitates flexible integration into diverse satellite platforms and ensures forward compatibility as SIP technologies and standards evolve.
By abstracting Layer 2 functionality and standardizing the radio interface, the CMM enables a plug-and-play approach to connectivity management. This not only reduces time and cost during satellite integration but also supports rapid adaptation to the dynamic landscape of space-based communication services. The CMM’s modular nature ensures its long-term applicability and value across multiple missions, contributing to the broader goal of enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of European satellite communication systems.