Browsing by Author "Kenyon, Samantha P."

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    Space Network (SpaceNet) Testbed - Development of a Multi-Functional Testbed for Simulating Space Communication Networks
    Downs, John S.; Barbour, Bruce; Kedrowitsch, Alexander; Mhadgut, Deven; Aryan, Suryansh; Kenyon, Samantha P. (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2025-01-03)
    Low Earth Orbit mega-constellations make up a large portion of modern developments in space communications. The ability to simulate and properly research these complex systems is currently being developed to answer questions on the capabilities of the rapidly expanding industry. The development and improvement of a simulation-based platform for satellite network testing can help research efforts to enable industry and government entities to work together in the growing enterprise. The ongoing development of the SpaceNet Testbed is investigated, detailing its use of orbit-based constellation dynamics modeling, software-based emulation, and a hardware-in-the-loop integration design. An overview of the testbed’s software infrastructure design is described alongside details regarding the make-up of its hardware components. Use cases are presented comparing the differences in performance between the satellite network of an actual Starlink mega-constellation currently in orbit and a custom constellation with the same quantity of satellites, but with ideal node spacing and initial orbital positioning. Results of these use cases are then discussed, focusing on the latency of the data traffic and how it differs when varying the testbed’s user-defined configurations. In the future, resiliency testing and ground station to satellite link behavior analysis can be included into the testbed. The testbed has potential to help lead efforts in simulating complex space communication systems.