Communications in layered orbital networks

• US 10,608,732 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2019
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vector Launch, Inc.
• Inventors: Coleman, Shaun, Garber, Darren D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US16/291,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20190207673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18521 Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service for optical links between satellites H04B10/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/195 Non-synchronous stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/36 Backward learning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/32 for defining a routing cluster membership

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide enhancements for deploying communication networks in clusters of satellite devices. In one example, a first set of satellite devices is configured to orbit in a first orbital configuration, and a second set of satellite devices is configured to orbit in a second orbital configuration. A communication network is formed among the satellite devices and is configured to selectively exchange communications among satellite devices in the first orbital configuration and satellite devices the second orbital configuration based at least in part on an operational status of the communication network.

Claims

1. A satellite system, comprising:

first set of satellite devices orbiting in a first orbital configuration;

second set of satellite devices orbiting in a second orbital configuration;

a communication network formed among the satellite devices and configured to selectively exchange communications among satellite devices in the first orbital configuration and satellite devices in the second orbital configuration based at least in part on an operational status of the communication network;

a source satellite device configured to identify network traffic for delivery to a ground system, and transfer the network traffic for delivery to the ground system over the communication network; and

based at least on the operational status of the communication network indicating a target satellite device that can presently communicate with the ground system, one or more of the satellite devices configured to route the network traffic for delivery to the ground system by at least transferring the network traffic from the source satellite device over the one or more satellite devices to the target satellite for delivery of the network traffic to the ground system via the target satellite.

2. The satellite system of claim 1, wherein the second orbital configuration comprises an orbit having at least one of an orbital inclination and an orbital distance different than that of the first orbital configuration.

3. The satellite system of claim 1, comprising:

a forward communication path formed in at least the first orbital configuration that routes traffic of the communication network with a forward path with respect to an orbital direction of at least the first set of satellite devices; and

a reverse communication path formed in at least the first orbital configuration that routes traffic of the communication network with a reverse path with respect to the orbital direction of at least the first set of satellite devices.

4. The satellite system of claim 3, comprising:

during routing of traffic of the communication network, ones of the satellite devices configured to determine a traffic direction among the forward communication path and the reverse communication path over which to route the traffic based in part on the operational status of the forward communication path and the reverse communication path.

5. The satellite system of claim 3, comprising:

based at least on the operational status of the communication network indicating the forward communication path of the communication network is experiencing a failure, ones of the satellite devices configured to route the network traffic for delivery to target satellite devices using the reverse communication path.

6. The satellite system of claim 3, comprising:

ones of the satellite devices configured to receive clustering definitions delivered by a ground control system, wherein the clustering definitions indicate membership assignments for the first set of satellite devices and the second set of satellite devices, and wherein the clustering definitions further indicate a configuration establishing the forward communication path and the reverse communication path within the communication network.

7. The satellite system of claim 1, wherein the source satellite is in a different orbital configuration than the target satellite device.

8. The satellite system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the satellite devices orbiting in the first orbital configuration comprises a virtualized execution system configured to maintain state information related to execution of virtual nodes;

and comprising;

the communication network configured to transfer the state information over the communication network for delivery to at least one peer satellite device orbiting in the second orbital configuration and configured as a backup to the at least one of the satellite devices.

9. A method of operating a satellite system, the method comprising:

establishing a first set of satellite devices within in a first orbital configuration;

establishing a second set of satellite devices within in a second orbital configuration;

in communication network formed among the satellite devices, selectively exchanging communications among satellite devices of the first orbital configuration and satellite devices of the second orbital configuration based at least in part on an operational status of the communication network;

in a source satellite device, identifying network traffic for delivery to a ground system, and transferring the network traffic for delivery to the ground system over the communication network; and

based at least on the operational status of the communication network indicating a target satellite device that can presently communicate with the ground system, routing over one or more of the satellite devices the network traffic for delivery to the ground system by at least transferring the network traffic from the source satellite device over the one or more satellite devices to the target satellite for delivery of the network traffic to the ground system via the target satellite.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second orbital configuration comprises an orbit having at least one of an orbital inclination and an orbital distance different than that of the first orbital configuration.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

establishing a forward communication path in at least the first orbital configuration that routes traffic of the communication network with a forward path with respect to an orbital direction of at least the first set of satellite devices; and

establishing a reverse communication path in at least the first orbital configuration that routes traffic of the communication network with a reverse path with respect to the orbital direction of at least the first set of satellite devices.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

during routing of traffic of the communication network, determining a traffic direction among the forward communication path and the reverse communication path over which to route the traffic based in part on the operational status of the forward communication path and the reverse communication path.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

based at least on the operational status of the communication network indicating the forward communication path of the communication network is experiencing a failure, routing the network traffic for delivery to target satellite devices using the reverse communication path.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in ones of the satellite devices, receiving clustering definitions delivered by a ground control system, wherein the clustering definitions indicate membership assignments for the first set of satellite devices and the second set of satellite devices, and wherein the clustering definitions further indicate a configuration establishing the forward communication path and the reverse communication path within the communication network.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the source satellite is in a different orbital configuration than the target satellite device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the satellite devices orbiting in the first orbital configuration comprises a virtualized execution system configured to maintain associated state information related to execution of virtual nodes;

and further comprising;

in the communication network, transferring the associated state information over the communication network for delivery to at least one peer satellite device orbiting in the second orbital configuration and configured as a backup to the at least one of the satellite devices.

17. A satellite cluster, comprising:

first set of satellite devices orbiting in a first orbital configuration;

second set of satellite devices orbiting in a second orbital configuration different than the first orbital configuration;

a communication network formed among the satellite devices and configured to selectively route communications among the first set of satellite devices and the second set of satellite devices, wherein the communication network comprises;

one or more first communication paths formed among members of at least the first set that routes at least a first portion of the traffic of the communication network in a first direction with respect to the first orbital configuration; and

one or more second communication paths formed among members of at least the second set that routes at least a second portion of the traffic of the communication network in a second direction with respect to the second orbital configuration;

a source satellite device configured to identify network traffic for delivery to a ground system, and transfer the network traffic for delivery to the ground system over the communication network; and

based at least on the operational status of the communication network indicating a target satellite device that can presently communicate with the ground system, one or more of the satellite devices configured to route the network traffic for delivery to the ground system by at least transferring the network traffic from the source satellite device over the one or more satellite devices to the target satellite for delivery of the network traffic to the ground system via the target satellite.

18. The satellite cluster of claim 17, comprising:

during routing of traffic of the communication network, corresponding members configured to determine a traffic direction among the one or more first communication paths and the one or more second communication paths over which to route the traffic based in part on an operational status of the one or more first communication paths and the one or more second communication paths.