Energy efficiency enhancement in satellite based WSN through collaboration and self-organized mobility

A large number of ultra small satellites forming a wireless sensor network in space are able to be incorporated in space missions which are traditionally difficult for an individual satellite. Such a satellite-based communication network always needs higher energy efficiency to ensure a longer network lifetime. In this paper, a collaborative and self-organized algorithm is proposed to enhance energy efficiency of the network through mobility. The proposed algorithm is totally decentralized and is able to prevent network partition. The obtained results show that our algorithm can significantly prolong the network lifetime. The algorithm´s adaptability to network size and communication load is also discussed following simulation results.