Draft Policy ARIN-2026-1

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Current Text (24 March 2026)

Problem Statement

Organizations conducting space exploration missions are deploying IP-based networking infrastructure beyond Earth orbit, including on the Moon and in other deep-space environments. These networks currently utilize address space allocated independently from multiple RIRs, including ARIN.

As international missions expand and networks operated by multiple agencies interconnect to share communications infrastructure and provide operational redundancy, the use of unrelated terrestrial address allocations introduces routing scalability concerns. Existing allocations are not aligned with the topology of outer space communications networks, which may require the advertisement of numerous disaggregated prefixes when networks interconnect.

Outer space communications infrastructure is expected to develop around natural clusters near celestial bodies, with limited communication links between those regions. Addressing structures that reflect these topological boundaries could improve route aggregation and long-term routing scalability.

For the purposes of this policy, outer space includes the Moon and regions beyond Earth orbit, but excludes low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).

Policy Statement

ARIN may allocate IPv4 and IPv6 address space to organizations operating IP networking infrastructure in outer space, including beyond Earth orbit and on the Moon. Allocations are intended to support interagency connectivity, operational redundancy, and scalable routing in emerging space networks.

Addressing structures should be organized hierarchically to reflect major celestial regions—such as the Moon, Earth–Moon Lagrange points, asteroid belt, and other planetary systems—enabling route aggregation where feasible. Participation in aggregation is voluntary, and organizations may advertise more specific prefixes when necessary.

This policy applies to government, research, and commercial space operators, and encourages coordination among agencies to facilitate efficient address usage and scalable routing for outer space networks.

Definitions (Add to NRPM Section 2)

2.xx Extra-Terrestrial Network (ETN) An ETN is defined as any IP-based networking infrastructure operating physically beyond the Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) arc, including but not limited to Lunar, Martian, or deep-space deployments.

IPv4 Policy (Add to NRPM Section 4)

4.11 IPv4 Allocations for Extra-Terrestrial Networks ARIN shall maintain a dedicated pool or specific registration guidelines for organizations operating ETNs to ensure routing scalability.

4.11.1 Eligibility: Applicants must demonstrate a direct operational requirement for networking infrastructure located beyond Earth’s orbit. Eligible entities include government agencies, research institutions, and commercial operators.

4.11.2 Topological Hierarchy: To prevent global routing table exhaustion, allocations for ETNs should be issued from contiguous blocks where possible, designated by “Celestial Regions” (e.g., Luna, Mars, Lagrange Points).

4.11.3 Utilization Requirements: Standard utilization requirements (Section 4.2.4) apply, but ARIN may grant exceptions for high-latency “cold storage” nodes or orbital relay constellations where traditional “active host” pings are impractical for verification.

IPv6 Policy (Add to NRPM Section 6)

6.12 IPv6 Allocations for Extra-Terrestrial Networks Due to the vast distances and high-latency nature of deep-space communications, IPv6 is the preferred protocol for ETN deployments.

6.12.1 Minimum Allocation: The minimum allocation size for an ETN operator shall be a /48, or a size sufficient to allow for hierarchical subnetting per celestial body.

6.12.2 Planetary Aggregation: Organizations are encouraged to aggregate all prefixes within a specific gravity well or orbital system to a single aggregate route for advertisement back to Terrestrial Ground Stations (TGS).

6.12.3 Sparse Allocation: ARIN will employ sparse allocation techniques within the ETN block to allow for the future growth of lunar and planetary colonies without fragmenting the space.

Comments: This is being proposed jointly with the IETF TIPTOP working group. Please see https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-li-tiptop-address-space/ and https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-many-tiptop-ip-architecture/ for more details.

History and Earlier Versions

Related Meetings