How Resilient are They? Robustness Analysis of LEO Satellite Routing

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, such as Starlink, have become essential complements to terrestrial networks, significantly expanding Internet access in rural areas. However, their robustness in the face of various threats remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive study on the impact of four critical factors—direct sunlight, solar superstorms, high workload, and wear and tear—on Inter-Satellite Link (ISL) failures and their effects on network routing performance. We systematically model these failure mechanisms and analyze their influence under three classical routing algorithms. Our evaluation includes both network-wide connectivity and end-user latency analysis. Our findings reveal that LEO satellite networks relying on static routing algorithms are highly vulnerable, whereas dynamic and distributed routing approaches exhibit greater resilience. While multipath routing enhances robustness through redundancy, it encounters two key challenges: throughput bottlenecks and performance degradation under high-latitude traffic loads. In contrast, distributed routing maintains resilience with minimal latency trade-offs. These insights underscore the need for adaptive routing frameworks that integrate spatial redundancy with traffic-aware load balancing to ensure reliable network performance. Code for this paper is available at https://github.com/zpatronus/Robustness-Analysis-of-LEO-Satellite-Routing.