# SatFed: A Resource-Efficient LEO Satellite-Assisted Heterogeneous Federated Learning Framework

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.13503 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.13503/

## Key facts

- Cited by 21 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 32 of its 64 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Sep 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 32)

- [Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.03385/) (2015)
- [Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.6980/) (2014)
- [Communication-Efficient Learning of Deep Networks from Decentralized Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1602.05629/) (2016)
- [Fashion-MNIST: a Novel Image Dataset for Benchmarking Machine Learning Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.07747/) (2017)
- [Federated Optimization in Heterogeneous Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.06127/) (2018)
- [Federated Multi-Task Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.10467/) (2017)
- [Ditto: Fair and Robust Federated Learning Through Personalization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.04221/) (2020)
- [Towards Personalized Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.00710/) (2021)
- [HeteroFL: Computation and Communication Efficient Federated Learning for Heterogeneous Clients](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.01264/) (2020)
- [Asynchronous Federated Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.03934/) (2019)
- [Federated Learning with Buffered Asynchronous Aggregation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.06639/) (2021)
- [Efficient Parallel Split Learning over Resource-constrained Wireless Edge Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.15991/) (2023)
- [Split Learning in 6G Edge Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.12194/) (2023)
- [AdaptSFL: Adaptive Split Federated Learning in Resource-constrained Edge Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.13101/) (2024)
- [SplitLoRA: A Split Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning Framework for Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.00952/) (2024)
- [Automated Federated Pipeline for Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.06448/) (2024)
- [AgentsCoDriver: Large Language Model Empowered Collaborative Driving with Lifelong Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.06345/) (2024)
- [Optimal Resource Allocation for U-Shaped Parallel Split Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.08896/) (2023)
- [AutoFed: Heterogeneity-Aware Federated Multimodal Learning for Robust Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.08646/) (2023)
- [Collaborative Perception for Connected and Autonomous Driving: Challenges, Possible Solutions and Opportunities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.01544/) (2024)
- [FedAC: An Adaptive Clustered Federated Learning Framework for Heterogeneous Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.16460/) (2024)
- [D2-JSCC: Digital Deep Joint Source-channel Coding for Semantic Communications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.07338/) (2024)
- [Joint Task and Data Oriented Semantic Communications: A Deep Separate Source-channel Coding Scheme](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.13580/) (2023)
- [Federated Learning under Heterogeneous and Correlated Client Availability](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.04632/) (2023)
- [PACP: Priority-Aware Collaborative Perception for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.06891/) (2024)
- [IFViT: Interpretable Fixed-Length Representation for Fingerprint Matching via Vision Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.08237/) (2024)
- [SATSense: Multi-Satellite Collaborative Framework for Spectrum Sensing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.15542/) (2024)
- [Adaptive Configuration for Heterogeneous Participants in Decentralized Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.02136/) (2022)
- [LEO Satellite Networks Assisted Geo-distributed Data Processing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.10856/) (2024)
- [Towards Full-scene Domain Generalization in Multi-agent Collaborative Bird's Eye View Segmentation for Connected and Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.16754/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 21 of 21)

- [Hierarchical Split Federated Learning: Convergence Analysis and System Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.07197/) (2024)
- [HSplitLoRA: A Heterogeneous Split Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning Framework for Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.02795/) (2025)
- [IC3M: In-Car Multimodal Multi-object Monitoring for Abnormal Status of Both Driver and Passengers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.02592/) (2024)
- [HFedMoE: Resource-aware Heterogeneous Federated Learning with Mixture-of-Experts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.00583/) (2026)
- [State-Aware Perturbation Optimization for Robust Deep Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.20613/) (2025)
- [Robust Deep Reinforcement Learning in Robotics via Adaptive Gradient-Masked Adversarial Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.20844/) (2025)
- [Rethinking Membership Inference Attacks Against Transfer Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.11577/) (2025)
- [Conflict-Aware Client Selection for Multi-Server Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.02458/) (2026)
- [A Satellite-Ground Synergistic Large Vision-Language Model System for Earth Observation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.05731/) (2025)
- [SFL-LEO: Asynchronous Split-Federated Learning Design for LEO Satellite-Ground Network Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.13479/) (2025)
- [t-READi: Transformer-Powered Robust and Efficient Multimodal Inference for Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.09747/) (2024)
- [Intra-DP: A High Performance Collaborative Inference System for Mobile Edge Computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.05829/) (2025)
- [SL-FAC: A Communication-Efficient Split Learning Framework with Frequency-Aware Compression](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.07316/) (2026)
- [Physically-Induced Atmospheric Adversarial Perturbations: Enhancing Transferability and Robustness in Remote Sensing Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.14643/) (2026)
- [Tracing Human Stress from Physiological Signals using UWB Radar](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.10155/) (2024)
- [DP-TRAE: A Dual-Phase Merging Transferable Reversible Adversarial Example for Image Privacy Protection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.06860/) (2025)
- [SIDeR: Semantic Identity Decoupling for Unrestricted Face Privacy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.04994/) (2026)
- [MLFCIL: A Multi-Level Forgetting Mitigation Framework for Federated Class-Incremental Learning in LEO Satellites](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.02356/) (2026)
- [Conflict-Aware Federated Fine-Tuning of Large Language Models with Mixture-of-Experts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.15625/) (2026)
- [SeaCausal-FL: Federated Fuzzy Causal Learning for Maritime IoT Fault Diagnosis and Counterfactual Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.06257/) (2026)
- [Redundancy Meets Synergy: Dependency-aware Expert Selection for MoE via Submodular Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.00558/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Traditional federated learning (FL) frameworks rely heavily on terrestrial networks, where coverage limitations and increasing bandwidth congestion significantly hinder model convergence. Fortunately, the advancement of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks offers promising new communication avenues to augment traditional terrestrial FL. Despite this potential, the limited satellite-ground communication bandwidth and the heterogeneous operating environments of ground devices-including variations in data, bandwidth, and computing power-pose substantial challenges for effective and robust satellite-assisted FL. To address these challenges, we propose SatFed, a resource-efficient satellite-assisted heterogeneous FL framework. SatFed implements freshness-based model prioritization queues to optimize the use of highly constrained satellite-ground bandwidth, ensuring the transmission of the most critical models. Additionally, a multigraph is constructed to capture real-time heterogeneous relationships between devices, including data distribution, terrestrial bandwidth, and computing capability. This multigraph enables SatFed to aggregate satellite-transmitted models into peer guidance, enhancing local training in heterogeneous environments. Extensive experiments with real-world LEO satellite networks demonstrate that SatFed achieves superior performance and robustness compared to state-of-the-art benchmarks.