Enhancing Contact Graph Routing for Delay Tolerant Space Networking

When designing routing protocols for space-based networks, we must take into consideration the unique characteristics of such networks. Since space-based networks are inherently sparse with constrained resources, one needs to design smart routing algorithms that use the resources efficiently to maximize network performance. In Space Exploration Missions, the trajectories and orbits of spacecraft are predetermined, thus communication opportunities are predictable. This a-priori knowledge can be used to the advantage of scheduling and routing. In this paper, we focus on analyzing Contact Graph Routing (CGR) for space-based networks. CGR makes use of the predictable nature of the contacts to make routing decisions. Mars and Lunar mission-like scenarios were used in our simulations to gather statistics on routing protocol performance in terms of delay and buffer usage. We provide improvements to the underlying cost function of CGR to avoid routing loops and suggest applying Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm for path selection. The cost function change was incorporated into the latest Internet Draft posted for CGR. Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm was successfully implemented and tested in NASA's Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION) implementation of the DTN protocols.