[arin-ppml] Addressing for other planets

Mon Mar 2 01:25:13 EST 2026

Hello everyone,

I am very interested in the discussion about the IP Address Space for Outer
Space. It’s a fascinating and critical topic that needs to consider both
where we are now and what we’ll need in the future.

I'm focused on the debate between the two main ideas: grouping IP space by
celestial body (like giving Mars one prefix) versus the more traditional
approach of allocating space based on the space agency/provider.

While the 'celestial body' aggregation seems clean, I'm concerned about the
administrative work and policy issues it might create, especially in the
early stages of deep space networking.

Could the supporters of the celestial body model explain how it's genuinely
simpler for routing and less burdensome than a model where each space
agency gets its own aggregate block for all its missions, no matter where
they are in space? Also, I'd like to hear more about how this model would
handle the necessary coordination between all the different agencies and
countries that will be operating off-world.

In my view, starting with the path that involves the least amount of
administrative friction might be a more practical way to begin, and we can
adjust the policy as the space community grows.

Best
Mohibul

On Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 12:00 PM <arin-ppml-request at arin.net> wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. Re: Addressing for other planets (Warren Kumari)
>    2. Re: Addressing for other planets (Tony Li)
>    3. Re: Addressing for other planets (Tony Li)
>
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:35:30 -0600
> From: Warren Kumari <warren at kumari.net>
> To: Lee Howard <spiffnolee at yahoo.com>
> Cc: Tony Li <tony.li at tony.li>, William Herrin <bill at herrin.us>,
>         arin-ppml at arin.net
> Subject: Re: [arin-ppml] Addressing for other planets
> Message-ID:
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> On Wed, Feb 25, 2026 at 9:30 AM, Lee Howard <arin-ppml at arin.net> wrote:
>
> > On Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 02:28:03 PM GMT-3, William Herrin <bill@
> > herrin.us> wrote:
> >
> >
> > > Taking my Bill Herrin hat off and putting my Advisory Council hat on:
> >
> > > If you want to achieve something like this at ARIN, at some point you
> > > would write and submit a number policy proposal which does three
> > > things:
> >
> > It is not clear to me that ARIN can or should consider an
> > extra-terrestrial policy without support from the other RIRs.
> >
> > In other words, I think this should be discussed as a global policy
> > proposal, shepherded by the NRO NC.
> >
>
>
> +lots.
>
> IMO one of the RIR's could administer the ranges (or provide a backed to a
> new RIR), but the policy decisions and proposals are global in nature?
> W
>
>
> > > 1. Establishes criteria in the ARIN NRPM where IP addresses deployed
> > > in outer space are considered in use for the purpose of ARIN
> > > determining an organization's use and qualification.
> >
> > > 2. Establishes pools of IPv4 addresses reserved for each of the
> > > specific celestial bodies, and the quantity reserved for each.
> >
> > IPv4? How much could possibly be reserved?
> >
> > > 3. Establishes pools of IPv6 addresses reserved for each of the
> > > specific celestial bodies, and the quantity reserved for each.
> >
> > I am concerned that this scope is limited to the solar system.
> > Further, it is not clear to me that every "celestial body" (some of the
> > examples, like the lagrange points or asteroid belt, aren't even bodies)
> > needs the same allocation. Further, are moons numbered from their parent
> > planet, or from separate allocations? As proposed, Earth's moon gets as
> > much address space as L3 and as Pluto, but I don't know what Europa and
> > Deimos get.
> >
> >
> > > Finally, you'd specify that implementation would pend a request from
> > > IANA pursuant to publication of the relevant TIPTOP RFC.
> >
> > I'm pretty sure that RFC7020, and the ASO MoU, mean that requests for
> > address allocations from from the ASO. The IETF can establish new
> protocol
> > registries and request protocol numbers, but addresses are in the RIR
> > system.
> >
> > IMHO, YMMV,
> >
> > Lee
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:55:24 -0800
> From: Tony Li <tony.li at tony.li>
> To: Warren Kumari <warren at kumari.net>
> Cc: Lee Howard <spiffnolee at yahoo.com>, William Herrin
>         <bill at herrin.us>, arin-ppml at arin.net
> Subject: Re: [arin-ppml] Addressing for other planets
> Message-ID: <2034C0F6-300C-4A98-A54B-6DFD1E9C1A55 at tony.li>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> >> In other words, I think this should be discussed as a global policy
> proposal, shepherded by the NRO NC.
> >
> >
> > +lots.
> >
> > IMO one of the RIR's could administer the ranges (or provide a backed to
> a new RIR), but the policy decisions and proposals are global in nature?
>
>
> I?ve dropped NRO NC a line.
>
> Cheers,
> Tony
>
>
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>
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:55:24 -0800
> From: Tony Li <tony.li at tony.li>
> To: Warren Kumari <warren at kumari.net>
> Cc: Lee Howard <spiffnolee at yahoo.com>, William Herrin
>         <bill at herrin.us>, arin-ppml at arin.net
> Subject: Re: [arin-ppml] Addressing for other planets
> Message-ID: <2034C0F6-300C-4A98-A54B-6DFD1E9C1A55 at tony.li>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> >> In other words, I think this should be discussed as a global policy
> proposal, shepherded by the NRO NC.
> >
> >
> > +lots.
> >
> > IMO one of the RIR's could administer the ranges (or provide a backed to
> a new RIR), but the policy decisions and proposals are global in nature?
>
>
> I?ve dropped NRO NC a line.
>
> Cheers,
> Tony
>
>
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