Resilient IP Distribution Techniques for SmallSat and Hybrid Space–Ground Architectures

SmallSat missions frequently rely on space–ground communication paths that are asymmetric, multicast-oriented, intermittently available, or intentionally unidirectional. Many SmallSat and LEO architectures operate under tighter power, antenna size, and link-budget constraints than traditional GEO systems, and may rely on shorter contact windows, which can contribute to lower signal-to-noise ratios, burst packet loss, and limited or unavailable return channels. These conditions are common in missions supporting synthetic aperture radar, other high-volume sensing payloads, on-orbit processing, artificial intelligence workflows, alternative positioning, navigation and timing concepts, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data dissemination.

These constraints become more pronounced in hybrid GEO–LEO architectures, mobile or distributed ground stations and government-controlled satellite networks, where heterogeneous links, frequent handovers and fragmented reception limit the usefulness of feedback. In broadcast and multicast delivery, approaches that depend on feedback or complete reception within a single downlink contact lead to unpredictable delays, incomplete deliveries and strong operational dependence between space and ground segments.

This paper examines application-layer data delivery techniques for broadcast and multicast environments, including packetization strategies, application-layer forward error correction, time-distributed redundancy and rateless erasure coding. These methods allow receivers to reconstruct data across multiple, non-contiguous contact windows rather than relying on retransmission or receiver feedback. The paper contrasts link-layer and application-layer error correction, examines the limits of retransmission-based models, and describes how accumulation-based delivery better aligns with intermittent, one-way and hybrid space–ground networks.