Control of data communications networks in space

This paper presents an overview of a data network flow control problem in which the nodes of the communication subnet are earth satellites. Among the unique aspects of such a problem is the time varying nature of the network links caused by earth occlusion. Following a discussion of the physical configuration of such networks, a discrete version of the network control problem is presented. A brief discussion is given of the Dantzig-Wolfe approach used in its solution, together with an assessment of the utility of such an approach based upon numerical results obtained using a time-stepped simulation of network operation.