Evaluation of CCSDS file delivery protocol over Delay Tolerant Networks

Abstract

Space communications enter a new era where a multihop architecture is being exploited and an increasing number of alternative communication paths may be available. Current space applications, such as CFDP for file transfer, rely on static routing and can not efficiently perform in these challenging environments. The most promising solution is the emerging Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) Architecture and the accompanying Bundle Protocol which allow for reliable store-and-forward message switching, custody transfer and dynamic routing. However, a space-oriented file transfer protocol for DTN is required. In this work, we integrate CFDP with ION (a Bundle Protocol implementation produced by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and evaluate its performance in a DTN testbed.