Secure DTN Communications

Innoflight proposes to implement and perform an on-orbit demonstration of a Secure DTN communications suite on the SCaN Testbed aboard the ISS. Secure DTN is a combination of the Streamlined Bundle Security Protocol (SBSP) and the NSA's IPMEIR (Internet Protocol Minimum Essential Interoperability Requirements) Suite-B based networking protocol. The Secure DTN suite will enhance NASA's ability to support missions by expanding SCaN's ability to support heterogeneous communications architectures while protecting mission critical data integrity. Secure DTN will also enhance SCaN's ability to collaborate with non-government entities and foreign partners while assuring ownership of intellectual property. The Secure DTN effort will include contribution to the INB (ION NASA Baseline) codebase of the SBSP, with an implementation of Suite-B. The convergence layer will be upgraded with the IPMEIR security suite for internet protocol over CCSDS. An innovative PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) based key management and distribution system will be prototyped during the effort. The Phase II effort will conclude with an on-orbit demonstration of the Secure DTN suite with the SCaN Testbed that is currently mounted on the ISS (International Space Station). The suite will be demonstrated using both TDRSS and direct space to ground communications links.

The potential use of Secure DTN for NASA applications is significant. Security of space missions has become a major challenge on a national and international level. Secure DTN will provide a strong framework that will be deployed on-board space missions, at ground stations and end user terminals. The framework will be able to protect sensitive and classified information, manned life support systems, and intellectual property. Economic pressure continues to push missions toward reuse of existing ground and space assets. International collaboration is also encouraged in order to reduce costs. The proposed framework is a solution that meets these goals by enabling non-conventional communication architectures to be implemented without compromising data privacy and integrity.

The potential use of Secure DTN for non NASA applications is promising for commercial, U.S. government, and DoD applications. Commercial missions are under pressure to bring mission costs down while the need to bring more data down continues to rise. Secure DTN can protect data communications using a variety of affordable data relays such as geosynchronous spacecraft and store and forward orbiters. Further, secure IP-based communications is a highly desired solution for disaggregate architecture like hosted payload. Net-centric operations and data fusion are important concepts for the DoD in the modern battle field. Secure DTN is an excellent approach for "systems of systems" in which in-theater data collectors need to push data back to homeland or remote operations centers securely. The proposed technology can be deployed on space, air, and ground systems. More importantly it can fuse all those systems together.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.