CRA: Cost-Effective and Highly Reusable Architecture of Space-Air-Ground Integrated Network Based on TCP and DTN

Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks (SAGIN) is expected to become an important information infrastructure in the future spatial information field. However, most existing architectures introduce new protocols to interconnect multiple domains, resulting in high time and economic costs, with existing infrastructure being non-reusable. To address these problems, this paper introduces the CRA, a Cost-effective and highly Reusable Architecture of space-air-ground integrated network based on TCP and DTN. It integrates Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellite networks, and the terrestrial Internet into a unified SAGIN framework. Furthermore, we develops an Integration Gateway (IG) to bridge multiple heterogeneous domains, enabling efficient data conversion between Disruption Tolerant Networks (DTNs) and TCP/IP-based networks. Additionally, an experimental SAGIN system based on Network Function Virtualization is also constructed to verify our proposed architecture and integrated gateway. The experimental results show that the CRA architecture is feasible and the designed CRA gateway is efficient in terms of throughput and latency.