As the number and complexity of space missions increases, space communications enter a new era, where internetworking gradually replaces or assists traditional telecommunication protocols. The Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) architecture has recently emerged as a communication system for challenged networks, originally designed for the Interplanetary Internet. In the context of our project with ESA called "Extending Internet into Space -ESA DTN Testbed Implementation and Evaluation" we intend to

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... ploy a distributed, flexible and scalable DTN testbed for space communications. The testbed will provide the supportive infrastructure for the design and evaluation of space-suitable DTN protocols, architectures, and routing policies to allow efficient deep-space communications. Throughout the project, we will demonstrate the operational capabilities of the DTN protocols in space; design and evaluate novel transport protocols and architectures for reliable data transfer in space; and investigate routing algorithms that comply with ESA's policies and resource status.