Store and Forward for Real-Enough-Time Services in Satellite Constellations

The current trend favoring real-time services delivery anywhere at anytime has difficulties to cope with the dynamics of mobile networks. Furthermore, the present Internet network architecture is defeated by environments where links are error prone, intermittent, with high delay and when nodes may disappear unexpectedly. Transport services based on store and forward (such as the Delay/Disruption Tolerant Network architecture) accommodate these challenged environments. Within this framework, satellite constellations play an important role. This contribution first presents the rationale behind store and forward transport services. Satellites and their role are then discussed with the identification of research directions to be investigated from a networking standpoint. Nongeostationary satellite constellations show promising insights for flexible yet robust store and forward transport.