A Torrent-Inspired Large File Transfer System for Small Satellite Swarms

The increasing complexity and coordination requirements of multi-spacecraft missions, distributed space
systems, and small satellite swarms necessitate efficient and scalable data transfer mechanisms. Inspired
by peer-to-peer file sharing protocols, we present a novel large file transfer (LFT) system designed for
NASA’s Core Flight Software (cFS) framework. The LFT system was tested on NASA’s Starling mission, a
multi-cubesat swarm with S-Band cross-link capabilities and a mesh network topology. Our system leverages
the Better Approach to Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (BATMAN) routing protocol and the Data Distribution
Service (DDS) standard to enable seamless communication among swarm members. The LFT system features two primary use cases: push data, where a sender initiates a transfer session by broadcasting data packets to targeted receivers, and request data, where a receiver solicits specific data from other swarm members. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our torrent-inspired approach in facilitating strategic coordination and large file transfers onboard the Starling spacecraft via the crosslink network. Our system’s scalability, fault tolerance, and adaptability make it an attractive solution for future small satellite swarms requiring efficient data exchange capabilities