# US 12,763,845 B2 · Space cloud mesh architecture > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,763,845 B2 - Document ID: US12763845B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/416,056 - Filed: 2024-01-18 - Published: 2025-01-16 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2023-01-18 - Assignees: Rtx Bbn Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: RTX BBN Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Benjamin Montgomery; Peter H. Fischer; Syed Ali Naqvi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12763845B2 ## CPC - H04B 7/1851: {Systems using a satellite or space-based relay (H04B7/18508, H04B7/18521 take precedence; providing specific services H04B7/18523 - H04B7/18576)} - H04B 1/0003: {Software-defined radio [SDR] systems, i.e. systems wherein components typically implemented in hardware, e.g. filters or modulators/demodulators, are implented using software, e.g. by involving an AD or DA conversion stage such that at least part of the signal processing is performed in the digital domain (digital baseband systems H04L25/00; digital modulation/demodulation H04L27/00; CDMA H04B1/707; TDMA H04B7/2643; image transmission H04N5/00)} - H04B 7/18521: {Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service (for optical links between satellites H04B10/118)} - H04B: TRANSMISSION ## Abstract Systems, devices, methods, and computer-readable media provide resilient space cloud architectures. A device includes a distributed, disrupted, disconnected and denied D4 enabled satellite configured for D4 operations in a mesh network of D4 enabled satellites, the D4 enabled satellite comprising virtual network functions (VNFs), a network virtual function orchestrator (NFVO), and a software defined network (SDN) controller configured for secure VNF-VNF or VNF-ground communications. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A distributed, disrupted, disconnected and denied (D4) enabled satellite configured for D4 operations in a mesh network of D4 enabled satellites, the D4 enabled satellite comprising: virtual network functions (VNFs); a network virtual function orchestrator (NFVO); and a software defined network (SDN) controller configured for secure VNF-VNF or VNF-ground communications; wherein the SDN controller is configured to identify parent controllers based on a ranking of candidate controllers resulting in identified parent controllers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The D4 enabled satellite of claim 1, wherein identifying the parent controller includes discovering which controllers are potential parent satellites resulting in identified potential parent satellites. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The D4 satellite of claim 2, wherein the SDN controller is further configured to advertise itself to the identified potential parent satellites. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The D4 enabled satellite of claim 2, wherein identifying the parent controller includes the SDN controller receiving respective communications from controllers that are active controllers, known seed controllers, and are unknown to the satellite. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The D4 enabled satellite of claim 4, wherein identifying the parent controller includes updating a list of active peers and lapsed peers based on the received respective communications. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The D4 enabled satellite of claim 2, wherein the ranking includes discarding any identified parent controllers that are invalid. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The D4 enabled satellite of claim 6, wherein the ranking is based on a number of child controllers associated with the identified parent controllers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The D4 enabled satellite of claim 7, wherein the SDN controller is configured to communicate a selected SDN controller of the identified potential parent controllers based on the ranking. ### Claim 9 A system comprising a mesh network of distributed, disrupted, disconnected and denied (D4) enabled satellites configured for D4 operations, each of the D4 enabled satellites comprising: virtual network functions (VNFs); a network virtual function orchestrator (NFVO); and a software defined network (SDN) controller configured for secure VNF-VNF or VNF-ground communications, the SDN controller is configured to identify parent controllers based on a ranking of candidate controllers resulting in identified parent controllers and select a parent controller of the parent controllers that ranks highest. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein identifying the parent controller includes discovering which controllers are potential parent satellites resulting in identified potential parent satellites. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the SDN controller is further configured to advertise itself to the identified potential parent satellites. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein identifying the parent controller includes the controller receiving respective communications from controllers that are active controllers, known seed controllers, and are unknown to the satellite. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein identifying the parent controller includes updating a list of active peers and lapsed peers based on the received respective communications. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the ranking includes discarding any identified parent controllers that are invalid. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The system of claim 14, wherein the ranking is based on a number of child controllers associated with the identified parent controllers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the SDN controller is configured to communicate a selected SDN controller of the identified potential parent controllers based on the ranking. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations for distributed, disrupted, disconnected and denied (D4) enabled satellite operations in a mesh network of D4 enabled satellites, the operations comprising: identifying, by a software defined network (SDN) controller, parent controllers based on a ranking of candidate controllers resulting in identified parent controllers; selecting, by the SDN controller, a parent controller of the parent controllers that ranks highest; managing, by a network virtual function orchestrator (NFVO) and based on a communication from the parent controller, services provided by virtual network functions (VNFs); executing, by the VNFs, the services indicated by the NFVO; and communicating, by a software defined network (SDN) controller, results of executing the services to a device on the ground. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise discovering, by the SDN controller, which controllers are potential parent satellites resulting in identified potential parent satellites. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise, advertising, by the SDN controller, the machine to the identified potential parent satellites as a potential parent controller.