Poster Presentation

Testing SPRINT in the Near-Space Environment

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Abstract

A NASA Early Stage Innovations program focused on space-based wireless network development is underway at the University of North Dakota (UND).  The resultant Space-based Prioritized Real-time Inter-satellite Network Technology (SPRINT) promises to reduce cabling mass on spacecraft and support inter-satellite and ground segment networking, along with other benefits.  Three classes of traffic are accommodated by SPRINT: 

C1 - Real-time traffic with latency ≤ 100 µs, jitter ≤ 10 µs, and data rate ≥ 20 Mbps, 

C2 - High-rate traffic with latency ≤ 4ms, jitter ≤ 200µs, and data rate ≥ 100 Mbps, and 

C3 - High data rate (≥ 500 Mbps) traffic with no bounds on latency or jitter.

 

SPRINT will be tested in analog space environments.  One set of tests over the next two years involves network tests in UND’s Inflatable Lunar-Mars Analog Habitat and associated space suit and rover assets.  The focus of this poster is the set high-altitude balloon (HAB) missions that will assess this network in the near-space environment.  This year’s HAB mission involves a single balloon with two or more network routers to test C1 traffic in the stratosphere, along with C2 traffic between the HAB payload and the ground.  Next year’s HAB mission involves two balloons and will test all three traffic classes between the set of routers on each balloon payload and the ground.  These analog tests will raise the TRL of SPRINT so that intra- and inter-satellite network communications coupled with ground segment communications can be tested in the future.

Keywords: Wireless network

How to Cite:

Fevig, R. A., Adams, R., Nair, S., Ammar Khodja, D. & Altaf, M., (2024) “Testing SPRINT in the Near-Space Environment”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2024(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.18004