Network architecture for mission critical communications using LEO satellites

Use of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks is a promising approach for global mission communications in view of their low delay and bit error characteristics. This paper describes the network architecture for an LEO environment where payloads have severe size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints. In this architecture, payloads perform adaptive Layer 2 switching using routes computed by the central network operations center in the ground. Routes are computed considering traffic bandwidth, priority, and duration requirements, and time deterministic network topology changes. If necessary, lower priority traffic is preempted to accommodate higher priority traffic. Based on the routes computed for different snapshots, the planning system generates forwarding rules for payloads and uploads them via management centers that are deployed in different geographical locations in the ground. The architecture employs a distributed management scheme that reduces latency of critical management data such as alarms while avoiding the use of crosslinks for noncritical management communication.