A Secure and Distributed Decision Based Handover Scheme for Low Earth Orbit Satellites in 6G Internet

The space Internet offers wireless communication services at any location and anytime. Therefore, satellite communication plays a vital role in the 6G internet. However, the rapid movement of LEO satellites leads to quick transfers between ground stations. Previous research has focused on increasing authentication security ahead of handover while minimizing signalling and computation complexity. The rapid movement of satellites could lead to signaling problems and potential security risks at handover operation. Efficient and secure LEO satellite handover operation is essential to achieve broad coverage in 6G internet. This study proposes a secure and decentralized LEO satellite handover mechanism with ground stations. In the approach, LEO satellites make predictable decisions based on predictable trajectory, signal strength, and link reliability. Following predicted decisions, blockchain applications are utilized to accomplished a secure handover mechanism. The generated simulation outcomes demonstrate that the proposed scheme effectively manages the handover of LEO satellites to a different ground station in satellite communication. The performance analysis demonstrates less computing cost and signal overhead in handover operation.