Defining a Celestial Bodies Reference Framework for Deep Space Internet Addressing
draft-acosta-deepspace-celestial-bodies-registry-03

Taking IP to Other Planets                                     A. Acosta
Internet-Draft                                                    LACNIC
Intended status: Informational                         26 September 2026
Expires: 30 March 2027

Defining a Celestial Bodies Reference Framework for Deep Space Internet
                               Addressing
          draft-acosta-deepspace-celestial-bodies-registry-03

Abstract

   This document highlights the operational framework within Deepspace/
   TIPTOP protocols to utilize an external, standardized reference
   framework for celestial objects, functioning as an equivalent to ISO
   3166 for interplanetary networking.  To avoid operational overhead
   and duplication of effort, this framework defers the definitions,
   naming, and tracking of celestial entities directly to the
   International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the Minor Planet Center
   (MPC).  This document outlines how these external identifiers guide
   hierarchical address allocation without requiring IANA to maintain a
   dedicated astronomical nomenclature registry.  The ultimate objective
   is to establish a clear definition of what constitutes a valid
   Celestial Body for networking purposes.

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Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  Core Framework and Reference Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   5.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   6.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   7.  Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   8.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   9.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5

1.  Introduction

   Recent architectural discussions within the IETF Taking IP to Other
   Planets (TIPTOP) working group emphasize that deep space networking
   protocols require a stable reference framework based on celestial
   topographies.

   To achieve multi-agency interoperability, deep space networks require
   a universally recognized taxonomy for celestial objects, serving a
   purpose analogous to ISO 3166 country codes on Earth.  However,
   neither the IETF nor IANA should bear the operational burden of
   defining, naming, or cataloging celestial bodies.

   Rather than creating a new standalone registry from scratch, this
   document establishes that deep space networking protocols defer to
   the authoritative entities already managing these spaces: the
   International Astronomical Union (IAU) for major bodies and approved
   names, and the Minor Planet Center (MPC) for provisional designations
   and minor body tracking.

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2.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

3.  Terminology

   IAU:  International Astronomical Union.

   MPC:  Minor Planet Center (hosted at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center
      for Astrophysics).

   Provisional Designation:  The temporary identifier assigned to a
      celestial body by the MPC upon discovery.

   Permanent Designation:  A unique number given to minor planets,
      periodic comets, planetary satellites and interstellar objects by
      the MPC once their orbit is confirmed.

4.  Core Framework and Reference Policy

   Deep space addressing plans requiring celestial identification MUST
   utilize the data models and standardized outputs managed by the IAU
   and the MPC.

   Major Planets and Satellites: Addressing protocols SHALL map
   identifiers to the definitive nomenclatures established by the IAU.

   Minor Planets, Asteroids, and Comets: Protocols requiring allocation
   for minor or newly discovered bodies SHALL leverage the permanent
   designations and provisional designations assigned by the MPC.

   By deferring to both bodies, the network architecture accommodates
   the complete operational lifecycle of a celestial target—from its
   initial provisional tracking code to its permanent astronomical
   designation.

   The goal of this document is exactly what happened back with RFC 1591
   where in section 4 point 2, the author (Jon Postel) mentions:

   |  The IANA is not in the business of deciding what is and what is
   |  not a country.  The selection of the ISO 3166 list as a basis for
   |  country code top-level domain names was made with the knowledge
   |  that ISO has a procedure for determining which entities should be
   |  and should not be on that list.

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   In the same way we could say:

   |  The IANA is not in the business of deciding what is and what is
   |  not a celestial body.  The selection of IAU and MPC lists as a
   |  basis for celestial body names was made with the knowledge that
   |  those entities have a procedure for determining which entities
   |  should be and should not be on those lists.

5.  IANA Considerations

   This document requires no immediate or active registration actions
   from IANA.

6.  Security Considerations

   This document does not define any protocol architecture, data models,
   or operational mechanisms.  However, establishing a strict taxonomic
   baseline introduces significant security and operational benefits.

   Specifically, referencing external authoritative lists (IAU and MPC)
   prevents a class of operational exploits where malicious or erroneous
   actors could request networking prefixes or resources for non-
   existent celestial bodies.  Defining strictly what constitutes a
   valid celestial entity ensures resource integrity and prevents
   spatial address space pollution or exhaustion.

   Consequently, this document introduces no new security or privacy
   vulnerabilities to network infrastructures.

7.  Acknowledgments

   The author would like to thank Erik Kline for his critical structural
   feedback regarding IANA overhead, and Marshall Eubanks for providing
   the necessary astronomical context regarding the Minor Planet Center
   (MPC) and celestial body naming lifecycles.  Their insights directly
   shaped the reference framework proposed in this document.

8.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", RFC 2119, March 1997,
              <https://rfc-editor.org>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", RFC 8174, May 2017,
              <https://rfc-editor.org>.

9.  Informative References

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   [RFC1591]  Postel, J., "Domain Name System Structure and Delegation",
              RFC 1591, March 1994, <https://rfc-editor.org>.

   [MPC-Packed]
              Minor Planet Center, "Packed Provisional and Permanent
              Designations", <https://minorplanetcenter.net>.

Author's Address

   Alejandro Acosta
   LACNIC
   Email: alejandro@lacnic.net

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