Tiansuan Constellation: An Open Research Platform

Abstract: Satellite network is the first step of interstellar voyages. It can provide global Internet connectivity everywhere on earth, where most areas cannot access the Internet by the terrestrial infrastructure due to the geographic accessibility and high 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 blocked by the high threshold of space technology, such as deployment cost and unknown risks. To solve the above dilemma, 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 constellation. We provide two case studies that have already deployed in two experimental satellites of Tiansuan constellation.