ns-3-leo: Evaluation Tool for Satellite Swarm Communication Protocols

We present
ns-3-leo
, a module for the discrete event network simulator
ns-3
, which includes models for the network mobility and link characteristics of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite mega-constellations. The initial goal has been to create a simulation environment in which existing routing protocols from the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) and Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) areas can be evaluated in these types of networks. To show its capabilities, we performed simulations of the planned satellite constellations of Starlink and Telesat based on publicly available parameters. Through simulations of Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV), we were able to gain valuable insights into the unique challenges presented to these protocols by satellite networks. It is unlikely that existing ad-hoc protocols using distance-vector routing or flooding can be used for broadband internet connectivity and alternative methods of handling large-scale mobility in these networks are needed. However, with ns-3-leo a much needed extension for supporting the development of protocols fulfilling the needs of satellite constellations is provided.