Exploring A Cognitive Routing Strategy for Efficient Energy Management in Space DTNs

This study presents an approach to improve the performance of Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) in space through decentralized cognitive routing. The approach aims to minimize delivery times while also extending the nodes’ operational lifetimes, which is achieved by avoiding the transmission of bundles through low-charged relay nodes. To achieve this goal, the Cognitive Space Gateway (CSG) approach is extended to support multi-objective routing that considers both the delay to the destination and the energy level of the nodes along the path. This extension includes the formulation of a multi-objective cost and several networking mechanisms that enable the CSG to obtain adequate estimates of the delay-energy metrics associated with the node contacts. A simulation study shows that this method leads to significant bundle loss reductions. With the application of the proposed method, we anticipate significant improvements in the efficiency and reliability of DTN communications in space.