Two-Level Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation for A Space-To-Ground Relay Network

We address issues related to efficiency, fairness, end to- end delay minimization and Quality-of-Service in order to enable a flexible access and dynamic mission operation capability in the next generation NASA space-to-ground communication infrastructure. To provide efficient and fair utilization while guaranteeing specific service requirements for different traffic classes, we propose a two-level (long-term and short-term) sharing of a slotted high data rate satellite communication link. The implemented long-term optimal bandwidth allocation provides per-user/per-flow service guarantee and gives the inputs to the next level. In our short-term bandwidth allocation with threshold regulation, a small portion of bandwidth is still assigned to all active spacecraft in advance, but most bandwidth is dynamically allocated per frame by solving an optimal timeslot scheduling problem. We finally discuss simulation results and our design optimization approach.