2018.P.1.10. Performance Evaluation of MAC Protocols for Sensors Communication in Isolated Areas on the planet through a single CubeSat

Author(s)

Adnane Addaim (1)
El Bachir Zantou (2)

ENSA Engineering School, Ibn Tofail University, Morocco
CRERS Royal Center for Space Research and Studies, Rabat, Morocco

Session

P.1

Keywords

DTN, Cubesat, Data Mule, MAC Protocol, WSN

Abstract

Recent advances in the development of DTN (Disruption Tolerant Network) network reveal a new architecture that extends the access to the internet from isolated areas (rural area, mountain, sea, desert …) by integrating the LEO Cubesat Nanosatellite Network to the terrestrial Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). This scenario is similar to the DTN network in which many sensors located in some area on any planet wanting to send their data through a Cubesat which plays the role of Data Mule as DTN custody node. The problem here is that the sensors are not always on direct visibility with the Cubesat because all satellites are in continuous motion with the planet. In fact, the Cubesat moves around its orbit and these movements change the location of the Cubesat’s footprint on the planet. As a result, the sensors are on direct visibility with the Cubesat only during a limited duration to transmit successfully all their gathered information data to the Cubesat which in turn stores the data within its on-board storage system, and delivers these data in a later time to other satellite connected to the destination on the earth. The gathered data is sent by the sensors during a limited visibility time to the Cubesat payload using a MAC protocol. The goal of the MAC protocol in this type of network is to maximize the contact volume in upload to all the sensors with minimum energy consumption in such a manner that all sensors receive efficiently a fair share of the available time. This article will focus on the validation of the MAC Protocol analytical models for this type of DTN Network with the mainly constraint of its spatial dynamic behavior that depends on the movement of the Cubesat as DTN custody node in its orbit. In this article, we show that the analytical models of some MAC protocols are not always in good correlation with the simulations results that takes into account the spatial dynamic behavior of the satellite system and we reveal that the Slotted AlohaCA protocol is the most suitable MAC protocol for designing DTN Network based on a single Cubesat as DTN Custody node.