TwinSync: Mission-Aware Synchronization of Digital Twins Over Dynamic Cislunar Networks

Abstract

Digital Twins (DTs) have been proposed for monitoring and decision-making of complex systems, without being in the presence of the target system. However, this capability typically requires non-trivial amounts of data from target devices. In the case of lunar orbit and surface operations, obtaining data takes place over bandwidth-constrained links with long propagation delays and intermittent connectivity. These limitations are already evident in emerging architectures such as NASA’s Artemis program, where continuous data streaming from lunar assets is not always feasible. This paper proposes TwinSync, a mission-aware networking framework for maintaining synchronized digital twin states over dynamic cislunar networks. The approach combines a Cislunar Network Twin (CNT), which predicts time-varying topology and communication opportunities, with an Age-of-Synchronization (AoS)-aware scheduling mechanism that prioritizes deadline-constrained updates. Consequently, TwinSync ensures that mission-critical Time-Triggered (TT) traffic is supported by design. Simulation results show that TwinSync achieves zero TT deadline violations for deadline-constrained traffic across all evaluated scenarios. It also improves overall network utilization compared to representative deep space networking schemes, demonstrating a shift from reactive best-effort networking to predictive, mission-aware operation, where critical objectives are guaranteed a priori. Extended stress testing reveals that TwinSync maintains delivery of Time-Triggered information even under highly constrained traffic rates, dynamic mission phase transitions, and degraded network conditions.