Tiansuan Constellation: An Open Research Platform

Abstract

Satellite network is the first step towards interstellar voyages. It can provide global Internet connectivity everywhere on the earth, where most areas cannot access the Internet by the terrestrial infrastructure due to the geographic accessibility and high deployment cost. The space industry experiences a rise in large low-earth-orbit satellite constellations to achieve universal connectivity. The research community is also urgent to do some leading research to bridge the connectivity divide. Researchers now conduct their work by simulation, which is far from enough. However, experiments on real satellites are hindered by the exceptionally high bar of space technology, such as deployment cost and unknown risks. To solve the above challenges, we are eager to contribute to the universal connectivity and build an open research platform, Tiansuan constellation, to support experiments on real satellite networks. We discuss the potential research topics that would benefit from Tiansuan. We provide two case studies that have already been deployed in two experimental satellites of Tiansuan.