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arXiv · 2609.18839

A Distributed Computing Framework for Satellite Swarms

Ezra Fielding·Clement Demazure·Guthemberg Silvestre·Felipe Alves Suana·Philippe Quéinnec
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Abstract

The rise of large satellite constellations and Distributed Space Systems (DSS) demands generalized frameworks that enable fault-tolerant, autonomous distributed space applications. Conventional ground-centric command and control does not scale to systems of tens or hundreds of satellites, motivating the adoption of distributed computing. This paper introduces a conceptual distributed computing framework for satellite swarms, covering distributed state, command and control, and scientific mission. As a first validation step, a strongly eventually consistent distributed state service is designed and implemented using Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDT), specifically a Last-Write-Wins Register-based key-value store. The service is evaluated in the context of Space Situational Awareness catalog dissemination across a simulated 66-satellite constellation emulated with GoNetEm. Results show that the CRDT-based approach reduces ground-to-satellite communication from 66 messages to a single uplink per update, with tree traversal matching the total message count of direct uplink. Under concurrent updates, sub-linear inter-satellite message growth is observed as nodes discard outdated versions, further reducing network overhead. These results demonstrate the viability of a CRDT-based distributed state as a scalable and fault-tolerant foundation for satellite swarm applications.

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Ezra Fielding, Clement Demazure, Guthemberg Silvestre, Felipe Alves Suana, Philippe Quéinnec. 2026-09-16. A Distributed Computing Framework for Satellite Swarms. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.18839

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