IP Networking in Deep Space

IP Networking in Deep Space

From PING by APNIC

April 15, 2026 · 49 min · Season 6 · Episode 7

About this episode

This episode features an interview with Marc Blanchet discussing IP networking in deep space and the challenges of long delays in communication.

This episode of PING is an interview with Marc Blanchet from Viagenie in Quebec, Canada. Marc has been active in Internet Procotols and the IETF for decades, most recently focussed on Internet Protocol communications in deep space. Marc presented at the recent APRICOT/APNIC61 meeting held in Jakarta. We've got used to the idea of IP working in Low Earth Orbit, with the rise of Starlink as a high speed service which in many cases out-performs terrestrial services available in rural and remote locations. And, we've had IP services mediated via GeoSynchronous orbit satellites like DirecTV, which are now significantly less popular because of one overriding problem: the very long end-to-end delay. People find the half-second of round-trip time to a GEO satellite unacceptable. But, in space, things get much worse. Marc's work looks at space contexts which go far beyond these orbital "shells" around earth, into the distances to the Moon, to the Asteroid belt, and beyond to other planets. The delay component in these networks isn't just an inconvenience, it has very real implications for rount-trip-time effects on a protocol like TCP, which demands a stream of "ACK" signals to manage the…

People in this episode

Guest: Marc Blanchet

Topics covered

  • IP Networking
  • Deep Space
  • Internet Protocols
  • TCP
  • Satellite Communication
  • APRICOT/APNIC61

Keywords

  • IP Networking
  • Deep Space
  • TCP
  • Satellite Communication
  • APRICOT/APNIC61
  • Internet Protocols
  • Long Delays

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Viagenie, IETF

Products: Starlink, DirecTV, Linux TUN device, TC-NETM

Places: Quebec, Canada, Jakarta, Low Earth Orbit, Moon, Asteroid belt, Earth

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