Freely Drifting Small-Satellite Swarms for Sensor Networks in the Arctic

Abstract

Satellite communications have been widely used to provide connectivity around the world. However, regions such as the Arctic still have limited coverage, despite the need to monitor this region. Currently, several sensors are deployed in the Arctic, but are limited by poor and costly connectivity. Constellations of small-satellites, or CubeSats, have been proposed in order to overcome this lack of connectivity, offering an alternative to typical satellite solutions. However, these constellations face challenges in their deployment and in orbital station keeping. In this paper, we propose a simpler deployment of small-satellites, in the form of a drifting swarm, integrated with networking protocols widely used in the Internet of Things (IoT). A realistic setup is considered, evaluating this solution taking into account the position of sensor nodes, ground stations and the dynamics of such a drifting swarm. The topology evolution of the small-satellite swarm is studied and all its link characteristics are emulated using a real network stack and protocols. The obtained results prove the feasibility of the proposed solution and show that a freely-drifting satellite swarm, with three small satellites, outperforms more costly solutions. Our results also show that by using standardised networking protocols, a satellite architecture with two ground-stations connected over the internet, can reduce the average end-to-end time of a request from 88 to 38 minutes. The obtained results motivate the use of freely-drifting swarms of small-satellites for reaching sensor nodes in remote locations, as well as the use of IoT protocols for improved performance.

Positioning in the Arctic Region: State-of-the-Art and Future Perspectives

“…[93], [108] Improved navigation performance with reduced navigation errors Utilization of quantum technologies [109] Estimation of the performance of current GNSS Simulation campaigns Current work Some of the advantages of integrated EO techniques with positioning satellites were described previously by a Polaris study from ESA [106] and in a study from the Ministry of Transports and Communications [107]. The Internet of Things (IoT) applications can serve as a great example of the combination of GNSS, EO, and communication satellites bringing together improved connectivity, geopositioning, and image data [79].…”

“…However, the smallsatellite communication system experience challenges with station keeping. It has been proven that by using the smallsatellite swarms, the average end-to-end time can be significantly reduced [108]. These small satellite systems can be considered a solution to support time-limited missions or transmission of recorded data regularly, thus improving environmental awareness and navigation in this region.…”

Addressing the Sustainable Development Goals with a System‐of‐Systems for Monitoring Arctic Coastal Regions

“…Offshore areas south of 70°-75°N can have coverage from GEO satellite services usable for ships, but not usable for smaller platforms/sensors because of the size of the equipment. New satellite solutions such as Norwegian HEO or proposed mega-constellations eventually may offer complementary services (Birkeland and Palma 2018). Around Svalbard, the situation is different from the mainland.…”