Abstract
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites undergo a period
of rapid development driven by ever-increasing user demands,
reduced costs, and technological progress. Since there is a lack
of literature on the security and reliability issues of LEO
Satellite Communication Systems (SCSs), we aim to fill this
knowledge gap. Specifically, we critically appraise the inherent
characteristics of LEO SCSs and elaborate on their security
and reliability requirements. In light of this, we further discuss
their vulnerabilities, including potential security attacks launched
against them and reliability risks, followed by outlining the associated
lessons learned. Subsequently, we discuss the corresponding
security and reliability enhancement solutions, unveil a range
of trade-offs, and summarize the lessons gleaned. Furthermore,
we shed light on several promising future research directions
for enhancing the security and reliability of LEO SCSs, such
as integrated sensing and communication, computer vision aided
communications, as well as challenges brought about by
megaconstellation and commercialization. Finally, we summarize the
lessons inferred and crystallize the take-away messages in our
design guidelines.