Characterizing lowest-delay paths in low earth orbit satellite networks

Modern networks of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites promise to offer low-latency connectivity between any pair of devices on Earth. However, as the length of inter-satellite links constantly changes, the lowest-delay paths between satellites change over time even if the network topology does not. In this paper, we characterize the lowest-delay paths in LEO satellite networks whose topologies are lattice graphs. We show how the shape of these paths can be determined by knowing the satellites’ orbits, their movement direction and the topological positions of source and destination satellites. Our characterization has the potential to inspire several practical applications, including fast, resource-efficient routing algorithms and protocols.