Packet switching for mobile earth stations via low-orbit satellite network

An autonomous adaptive protocol for spaceborne computer communication in a self-configuring network is presented. The key concept is survivability, which could be achieved with a satellite ring located at orbits of 1000-4000 mi altitude. Each spacecraft would carry an on-board computer with algorithms which would guide automated reconfiguring of nodes should one satellite fail or be destroyed. Transmissions would then be uninterrupted for link between land and mobile stations. It is recommended that the orbits be at 50-60 deg inclinations. The spacecraft, boosted from the Orbiter, would be three-axis stabilized and would carry antennas pointing forward and backward along the ring and downward to earth. Message routing schemes based on ARPANET confirm that acceptable routes are attainable. The associated algorithm has been validated by experiments with routing data between six computers.