"internet in Space" for Terrestrial Users via Cyber-Physical Convergence

Abstract

We study a new design objective for "Internet in space"for terrestrial users: To align logical network topology, address, and route in the virtual cyberspace with movements of satellite mega-constellations and earth's rotations in the real physical world. We explain why this is particularly desirable by the recent low-earth-orbit (LEO) mega-constellations, and how it welcomes mobility to streamline the network design for stability, efficiency, and scalability in an unstable space-ground environment. We showcase its feasibility with the common fixed satellite sub-point trajectory in mega-constellations. We describe how it permits stable recursive topology, unifies cyber-physical locations in the address, and naturally embeds the geographical routing into the topological routing.