System and architecture for space-based and mobile terrestrial sensor vehicles, and end-to-end network for aggregation and processing of sensor data

1. A system comprising:

a mobile vehicle platform, including (1) a sensor module configured to monitor one or more of certain conditions, circumstances, environments and situations occurring on or around, or associated with, the Earth, and to generate sensor data resulting from the monitoring, and (2) a relay satellite terminal configured to execute data communications via a communications channel of a first satellite beam, wherein the data communications are configured to relay the sensor data, via one or more satellites with which it executes the data communications, to one or more respective gateways for forwarding to a central processing facility for one or more of aggregation, processing, analysis and dissemination of the data, and wherein the relay satellite terminal is further configured to switch the data communications from the communications channel of the first satellite beam to a communications channel of a second satellite beam;

a first gateway associated with the communications channel of the first satellite beam;

a second gateway associated with the communications channel of the second satellite beam; and

wherein the relay satellite terminal is further configured to transmit periodic position messages to the first gateway,

wherein the first gateway is configured to determine to switch the communications from the communications channel of the first satellite beam to the communications channel of the second satellite beam based on the position messages and a position of the relay satellite terminal relative to the first and second satellite beams, and, upon making that determination, to transmit a handover request message to the second gateway,

wherein the second gateway is configured to transmit a handover acknowledgement message to the first gateway in response to the handover request message,

wherein the first gateway is further configured to transmit a handover command message to the relay satellite terminal upon receipt of the handover acknowledgement message, and

wherein the relay satellite terminal is further configured to, upon receipt of the handover command message, terminate the data communications via the communications channel of the first satellite beam, tune to the communications channel of the second satellite beam in accordance with the handover command message, transmit a handover complete message to the second gateway, and resume the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam, the system further comprising: an anchor gateway; wherein the first gateway is further configured to, upon receiving the handover acknowledgment message from the second gateway, forward the sensor data to the anchor gateway, wherein the second gateway is further configured to, upon receiving the handover compete message from the relay satellite terminal, transmit a handover complete message to the first gateway, and transmit a route update message to the anchor gateway, and wherein the anchor gateway is configured to, upon receiving the route update message from the second gateway, transmit the sensor data forwarded by the first gateway to the second gateway.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile vehicle platform further includes a control module and a buffer module,

wherein, during a period of time between the termination of the data communications via the communications channel of the first satellite beam and the resumption of the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam, the control module is configured to store the sensor data in the buffer module, and

wherein the control module is configured to, upon the resumption of the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam, provide the buffered data to the relay satellite terminal for transmission to the second gateway.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein, in switching the data communications from the communications channel of the first satellite beam to the communications channel of the second satellite beam, the relay satellite terminal is configured to perform the following functions:

receive a channel handover command message from the first gateway;

terminate the data communications via the communications channel of the first satellite beam;

tune to the communications channel of the second satellite beam in accordance with the handover command message, and transmit a handover complete message to the second gateway; and

resume the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the mobile vehicle platform further includes a control module and a buffer module,

wherein, during a period of time between the termination of the data communications via the communications channel of the first satellite beam and the resumption of the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam, the control module is configured to store the sensor data in the buffer module, and

wherein the control module is configured to, upon the resumption of the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam, provide the buffered data to the satellite relay terminal for transmission to the second gateway.

5. A method comprising:

monitoring, via a sensor disposed on a mobile vehicle platform, one or more of certain conditions, circumstances, environments and situations occurring on or around, or associated with, the Earth, while the mobile vehicle platform travels around the Earth;

generating sensor data resulting from the monitoring;

executing data communications, via a relay satellite terminal, over a communications channel of a first satellite beam, wherein the data communications are configured to relay the sensor data, via one or more satellites with which it executes the data communications, to one or more respective gateways for forwarding to a central processing facility for one or more of aggregation, processing, analysis and dissemination of the data; and

switching the data communications from the communications channel of the first satellite beam to a communications channel of a second satellite beam based on a position of the relay satellite terminal relative to the first and second satellite beams;

transmitting periodic position messages to a first gateway associated with the communications channel of the first satellite beam;

determining, by the first gateway, to switch the communications from the communications channel of the first satellite beam to the communications channel of the second satellite beam based on the position messages and a position of the relay satellite terminal relative to the first and second satellite beams, and, upon making that determination, transmitting a handover request message to a second gateway associated with the communications channel of the second satellite beam;

transmitting, by the second gateway, a handover acknowledgement message to the first gateway in response to the handover request message;

transmitting, by the first gateway, a handover command message to the relay satellite terminal upon receipt of the handover acknowledgement message;

terminating, by the relay satellite terminal, the data communications via the communications channel of the first satellite beam upon receipt of the handover command message, tuning to the communications channel of the second satellite beam in accordance with the handover command message, transmitting a handover complete message to the second gateway, and resuming the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam; forwarding, by the first gateway, upon receiving the handover acknowledgment message from the second gateway, the sensor data to an anchor gateway; transmitting, by the second gateway, upon receiving the handover compete message from the relay satellite terminal, a handover complete message to the first gateway, and a route update message to the anchor gateway; and transmitting, by the anchor gateway, upon receiving the route update message from the second gateway, the sensor data forwarded by the first gateway to the second gateway.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:

buffering the sensor data during a period of time of the switching of the data communications from the communications channel of the first satellite beam to the communications channel of the second satellite beam.

7. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising:

storing the sensor data in a buffer module during a period of time between the termination of the data communications via the communications channel of the first satellite beam and the resumption of the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam; and

transmitting the buffered data to the second gateway upon the resumption of the data communications via the communications channel of the second satellite beam.