Extending the Internet to Orbit

An open framework for orbital internet routing
and governance. Built by the community, for everyone.

The Problem

The orbital internet is ungoverned

Satellite constellations are multiplying, orbital datacenters are emerging, and the next frontier of the internet is taking shape. But it's being built without the open foundation that made the terrestrial internet work.

No Neutral Peering

Each constellation routes traffic through its own proprietary network. There is no neutral on-orbit exchange point where operators can peer.

No Registry Authority

No RIR has been chartered for orbital space. A LEO satellite crosses every RIR region in a single orbit. The existing framework doesn't apply.

No Open Standards

BGP was designed for stable topologies. Orbital networks have links that appear and disappear on timescales of seconds. New protocols are needed.

Architecture

Four layers, purpose-built for orbit

A modular architecture that integrates with the existing terrestrial internet without requiring any changes to terrestrial routing infrastructure.

Identity Layer

A permissioned ledger built on Hyperledger Fabric. Every operator, ground station, and routing node gets a cryptographic identity. ASN verification happens on-orbit without ground contact.

Addressing Layer

IPv6-native addressing for the orbital fabric. ip.space issues allocations to native operators and accepts registered prefixes from federated operators with existing RIR resources.

Routing Layer (ORP)

The Orbital Routing Protocol handles dynamic topology, predictive path computation, and inter-constellation peering. BGP runs only at the ground station edge -no changes to terrestrial routing required.

Edge Layer (IER)

The ip.space Edge Router is open source software that ground station partners deploy. It runs ORP toward the orbital fabric and BGP toward the terrestrial internet, with NAT64 for IPv4 compatibility.

Interconnection

Three peering models

Flexible interconnection between orbital operators of any scale, governed by open policy -not proprietary bilateral agreements.

LARGE → SMALL

Transit

Large constellation operators provide upstream transit to smallsat operators and new entrants. Standardized agreements, real ASN allocations, no proprietary lock-in.

SMALL ↔ SMALL

Cooperative

Smallsat operators exchange traffic directly on-orbit. Traffic stays in space longer, hits the ground closer to its destination, avoids unnecessary terrestrial hops.

LARGE ↔ LARGE

Mutual

Major operators exchange traffic settlement-free at orbital exchange points. The same relationship that terrestrial IXPs facilitate between Tier-1 carriers.

Emergency Operations

The ORP-DISTRESS Beacon

Satellites fail. Attitude control systems malfunction, uplinks go dark, and operators lose contact with hardware that may still be operational. On-orbit, a satellite that loses its ground link has no fallback — unless other satellites are listening.

Distress Beacon Protocol

ORP defines a dedicated message type, ORP-DISTRESS, for satellites experiencing loss-of-contact or anomaly conditions. The message contains the satellite's ASN, a coarse position estimate, a machine-readable anomaly classification, and a signed timestamp — broadcast on the shared beacon channel.

Cooperative Relay Obligation

Unlike standard ORP messages governed by peering policy, ORP-DISTRESS triggers a cooperative relay obligation. Any ip.space-certified satellite that receives a distress beacon relays it to its ground station at the next available downlink — regardless of peering relationship with the distressed operator.

Orbital Search & Rescue Fabric

A university smallsat, a commercial imaging satellite, and a large constellation node that would never peer commercially all participate in the same distress relay network. The distressed operator learns their satellite is alive and can attempt recovery through alternate channels.

Space Traffic Awareness

A satellite broadcasting distress may behave unpredictably. Early notification through the relay network gives other operators situational awareness for conjunction avoidance and space traffic management. No bilateral agreement needed — the beacon speaks for itself.

The terrestrial internet was not built by one company. It was built by a community that agreed on open standards and neutral governance. The orbital internet deserves the same foundation.

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