RF & Microwave Technology

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Future-Proofing the Solar System Internet with 'DTN'

Communicating from Earth to any spacecraft is a complex challenge, largely due to the extreme distances involved. NASA  looks to Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) to help communicate with satellites and spacecraft over these distances. Unlike computer-to-computer IP connection, DNT bundles data and transmits as many bundles as it can when a communication path opens. If a bundle fails to transmit, it goes into storage and waits for the next communication path to open before sending. If the bundles were all part of a single file, the file can be reassembled at the final destination. The DTN protocol suite is being developed by the NASA Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) DTN Project.