Differences Between Terrestrial and Interplanetary Backbones
 
Terrestrial
Interplanetary
Delay (sec)
< .1
10 to 10,000
Connectivity
Wired; structural,
continuous
Radiant; operational,
intermittent
Medium
Copper, glass
Space; high BER
Deployment $
“low”
Very high
Operations $
“low”
High (power is costly)
Repair, upgrade $
“low”
Very high