# Secure and Efficient Federated Learning in LEO Constellations using Decentralized Key Generation and On-Orbit Model Aggregation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.01828 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.01828/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 10 of its 20 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 4 Sep 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Communication-Efficient Learning of Deep Networks from Decentralized Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.05629/) (2016)
- [DeepGlobe 2018: A Challenge to Parse the Earth through Satellite Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.06561/) (2018)
- [Privacy-preserving Federated Learning based on Multi-key Homomorphic Encryption](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.06824/) (2021)
- [FedSpace: An Efficient Federated Learning Framework at Satellites and Ground Stations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.01267/) (2022)
- [Satellite Based Computing Networks with Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.10586/) (2021)
- [On-Board Federated Learning for Dense LEO Constellations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.12769/) (2021)
- [FedHAP: Fast Federated Learning for LEO Constellations Using Collaborative HAPs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.07216/) (2022)
- [AsyncFLEO: Asynchronous Federated Learning for LEO Satellite Constellations with High-Altitude Platforms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.11522/) (2022)
- [Optimizing Federated Learning in LEO Satellite Constellations via Intra-Plane Model Propagation and Sink Satellite Scheduling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.13447/) (2023)
- [One-Shot Federated Learning for LEO Constellations that Reduces Convergence Time from Days to 90 Minutes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.12316/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Communication-Efficient Federated Learning for LEO Satellite Networks Integrated with HAPs Using Hybrid NOMA-OFDM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.00685/) (2024)
- [Stitching Satellites to the Edge: Pervasive and Efficient Federated LEO Satellite Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.15541/) (2024)
- [CAV-AD: A Robust Framework for Detection of Anomalous Data and Malicious Sensors in CAV Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.05461/) (2024)
- [Decentralized Trust for Space AI: Blockchain-Based Federated Learning Across Multi-Vendor LEO Satellite Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.08882/) (2025)
- [On-Orbit Space AI: Federated, Multi-Agent, and Collaborative Algorithms for Satellite Constellations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.16518/) (2026)
- [Resource-Aware Federated Mixture-of-Experts with Adaptive Pruning for Onboard Learning in LEO Satellite Constellations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.31932/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Satellite technologies have advanced drastically in recent years, leading to a heated interest in launching small satellites into low Earth orbit (LEOs) to collect massive data such as satellite imagery. Downloading these data to a ground station (GS) to perform centralized learning to build an AI model is not practical due to the limited and expensive bandwidth. Federated learning (FL) offers a potential solution but will incur a very large convergence delay due to the highly sporadic and irregular connectivity between LEO satellites and GS. In addition, there are significant security and privacy risks where eavesdroppers or curious servers/satellites may infer raw data from satellites' model parameters transmitted over insecure communication channels. To address these issues, this paper proposes FedSecure, a secure FL approach designed for LEO constellations, which consists of two novel components: (1) decentralized key generation that protects satellite data privacy using a functional encryption scheme, and (2) on-orbit model forwarding and aggregation that generates a partial global model per orbit to minimize the idle waiting time for invisible satellites to enter the visible zone of the GS. Our analysis and results show that FedSecure preserves the privacy of each satellite's data against eavesdroppers, a curious server, or curious satellites. It is lightweight with significantly lower communication and computation overheads than other privacy-preserving FL aggregation approaches. It also reduces convergence delay drastically from days to only a few hours, yet achieving high accuracy of up to 85.35% using realistic satellite images.