Covert Multi-Hop LEO Satellite Routing with Controlled Delays

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System Model: LEO relay network covert against a terrestrial adversary 

Invention Summary:

Current covert digital communication technologies typically attempt to achieve cyclic covertness by lowering transmit power, adding random timing jitter, or modifying waveforms, which often reduces data rates, increases system complexity, and can still leave detectable periodic patterns.

Rutgers researchers have designed a novel technology that enhances covert digital communications and shows how multi-hop Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks can improve covertness by inserting controlled transmission delays to disrupt cyclic detection by adversaries. This technology improves cyclic covertness in multi-hop LEO satellite networks by introducing carefully calibrated transmission gaps or sub-symbol delays into digital signals. Unlike traditional methods that rely on spreading energy in the spectrum or random timing jitter, this approach disrupts the periodic statistical properties exploited by advanced cyclic detectors, making signals significantly harder to detect without sacrificing throughput or requiring physical layer waveform changes. Each relay satellite in the network adds a controlled delay to the signal during decode and forward retransmission, collectively attenuating detectable cycle frequencies at the ground adversary. The technology is compatible with existing narrowband and spread spectrum techniques and can be seamlessly layered on current satellite communication protocols. The technology is not limited exclusively to relay communication and can be deployed to protect a direct link by inserting periodic delays in the transmission..

Market Applications:

• Enhancing the covertness of wireless communication systems by introducing calibrated transmission delays that conceal signal characteristics from adversaries while preserving reliable communication performance with minimal impact on data throughput.
• Covert routing and security software modules for multi-hop LEO satellite networks.
• Firmware and protocol extensions for decode and forward satellite relays.
• Security enhancement layers for emerging 5G/6G non-terrestrial networks (NTNs).
• Modeling and simulation tools to design covert satellite communication networks.
• Integration with narrowband and spread spectrum signaling methods.

Advantages:

•   Targets advanced cyclic feature detectors directly rather than just energy detectors.
• Uses deterministic, calibrated delays instead of random dithering.
• Minimal impact on data throughput for typical packet sizes.
• No need for physical layer waveform modifications or complex receiver processing.
• Covertness increases as the number of relay hops or number of inserted delays grows.
• Fully exploits multi-hop relay superposition effects within LEO routing.
• Improves detection error probability allowing higher transmit power without increased detectability.

Publications:

• Johnson, S., Aggarwal, R., Kasher, M., Spasojevic, P., Kong, J., Kim, B., Choi, J., & Dagefu, F. “Covert Multi-Hop LEO Routing Against Cyclic Feature Detectors via Controlled Delays.”

Intellectual Property & Development Status: Provisional patent application filed. Patent pending. Available for licensing and/or research collaboration. For any business development and other collaborative partnerships, contact:  marketingbd@research.rutgers.edu