CFDP-based two-hop relaying protocol over weather-dependent Ka-band space channel

In this paper, we propose a novel relaying protocol based on the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems File Delivery Protocol (CFDP) over a weather-dependent Ka-band channel, which exploits a dual-hop link instead of the traditional single-hop link for a 100% file delivery service on scientific data return.We designed the specific model of the proposed protocol and provide the analytical results on the expected latency and link efficiency of the file delivery. Based on the proposed model, we discuss the exact location of the relay node that could minimize the expected file delivery delay by examining several practical relay locations for the proposed protocol. The simulation results show that, compared with the traditional CFDP, the proposed file delivery protocol could effectively reduce the total file delivery time by several orders of astronomical units and enhance link efficiency with noticeable increments, especially under conditions of high bit error rates (above 10-⁵).