Rethink Web Service Resilience in Space: A Radiation-Aware and Sustainable Transmission Solution

TL;DR

This paper introduces RALT, a dynamic rerouting solution for LEO satellite networks that enhances web service resilience by considering space radiation effects and energy constraints.

Contribution

It presents a novel control-plane approach that adapts traffic routing in real-time during radiation events, addressing energy use and service continuity challenges.

Findings

RALT effectively reduces service disruptions during radiation events.

The approach minimizes battery degradation by optimizing rerouting strategies.

Simulation results show improved resilience and energy efficiency.

Abstract

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks such as Starlink and Project Kuiper are increasingly integrated with cloud infrastructures, forming an important internet backbone for global web services. By extending connectivity to remote regions, oceans, and disaster zones, these networks enable reliable access to applications ranging from real-time WebRTC communication to emergency response portals. Yet the resilience of these web services is threatened by space radiation: it degrades hardware, drains batteries, and disrupts continuity, even if the space-cloud integrated providers use machine learning to analyze space weather and radiation data. Specifically, conventional fixes like altitude adjustments and thermal annealing consume energy; neglecting this energy use results in deep discharge and faster battery aging, whereas sleep modes risk abrupt web session interruptions. Efficient network-layer mitigation remains a critical gap. We propose RALT (Radiation-Aware LEO Transmission), a control-plane solution that dynamically reroutes traffic during radiation events, accounting for energy constraints to minimize battery degradation and sustain service performance. Our work shows that unlocking space-based web services' full potential for global reliable connectivity requires rethinking resilience through the lens of the space environment itself.