Description: For complex missions that are further away from Earth's resources, there is an unmet need for more autonomous operations with minimal Earth contact. Additionally, secure communications and networking topologies at various Quality of Service levels are needed to meet future mission requirements with swarms of small spacecraft. Antara's proposed innovations are: 1) Efficient, secure, mission-configurable, dynamic, and highly scalable key management protocols and 'chipper-suites' for multiple Quality of Service (QoS) Levels. These will include algorithmic optimizations and asynchronous execution methods for the bundle protocol (bp) to augment Delay & Disruption Tolerant Networking solutions based on Interplanetary Overlay Network (ION); 2) Efficient and standards driven adaptation of the Constrained Application Protocol (COAP) over the bundle protocol. The "CoAP over the bundle protocol" (CoAP-over-bp) integration with Antara's security enhanced ION framework will enable secure and scalable low-power application communications systems for clusters of small spacecraft. The innovation will make possible Autonomous and Complex Networks in space at multiple QoS Levels while minimizing the implementation footprint of the inter-networking software, memory, and processing for clusters of spacecraft by infusion with hardware such as space-hardened FPGAs and on the horizon compute technologies. Utilizing the ION framework will lower the cost and the time to develop a high TRL solution and reduce implementation risk. Antara's highly efficient network application communications with key management and cryptographic component innovations will deliver higher security and higher performance relative to existing system technology, support complex and time-varying networks and scale to large networks, via trusted pools in space. Successful implementation of the described innovations will address important technology gaps in NASA TA5.3.

Benefits: The proposed efficient and secure low-power communications system, based on delay and disruption tolerant inter-networking, is a horizontal, fundamental enabling capability which will support multiple NASA applications and missions. The proposed innovations will be applicable to planned and new missions by enabling the integration of standards-based, low-power, and secure key management and application communication components to the DTN network architecture/ION to provide scalable, flexible and secure bi-directional communications for swarms of spacecraft, satellite, and other applicable systems. Antara's innovations will directly support NASA use-cases such as Autonomous Operations and Complex Network Topologies as described in TA5.3. The successful deployment of the innovations in space will help lower operational costs of systems by replacing manual scripting and commanding of individual spacecraft communications links. Additionally, the innovations will enable secure proximity communications and autonomous communication among various types of space vehicles to implement complex and time-varying networks of spacecraft and sensors that are capable of sharing rich, near-real-time streams of information.

Public Service and Safety: Engage with Department of Homeland Security/FEMA to integrate the innovation into existing and new solution portfolios to provide interoperable communications and real-time information sharing among first responders during disasters to effectively mitigate against threats and hazards. Defense and Intelligence: Engage with DoD/IC to scale and integrate the innovation with existing Software Defined Radio based communications devices and Situational Analysis/Battle Management apps to rapidly infuse emerging DTN based capabilities to enhance the resiliency of Mobile Ad-hoc Networks and securely extend the reach of forward deployed forces to increase tactical agility, facilitate collaboration, coordinated actions, and robust access to mission-critical data, information, and knowledge. Commercial/Internet of Things: Partner with Intel Corporation and other Technology Program partners to infuse the innovation to IoT applications in stressed environments such as cargo and vehicle tracking, global asset tracking, smart-city Machine to Machine communications, and humanitarian relief monitoring via a licensing model.