IP Library Granted Patent US 12,368,513
Granted Patent B2
US 12,368,513 · App. 18/161,602 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Geo-restricted data management in satellite constellation datacenters

Inventors: Sarbajit K. Rakshit (Kolkata, IN); Naeem Altaf (Round Rock, TX); Minsik Lee (Fort Lee, NJ); Joseph Dean Cockroft (Kihei, HI)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H04B10/29
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,368,513
App. No.
18/161,602
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed embodiments provide systems and methods for implementing enhanced geo-restricted data management in satellite constellation datacenters. A disclosed system and methods implement a satellite constellation datacenter of multiple LEO satellites that enables real-time satellite communications using lasers and secure data storage in the satellite constellation datacenter to protect critical data from unauthorized access and supports secure data transfer between the LEO satellites using laser based data transfer. To enable secure storage of geo-location restricted data in a LEO satellite, the LEO satellite constellation datacenter defines a geo-location cone and requires that the geo-location restricted data be stored within the geo-location cone. LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone store the geo-location restricted data and securely transfer the geo-location restricted data from one satellite to another satellite within the defined geo-location cone.

Claims (50)

1. A method comprising:

storing geo-location restricted data at a Low Orbit Earth (LEO) satellite constellation datacenter;

identifying a geo-location cone extending from a given geographic location earth boundary through multiple satellite orbital altitudes, the satellite constellation datacenter requires that the geo-location restricted data be stored within the geo-location cone;

identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone for storing the geo-location restricted data;

identifying a first satellite from the LEO satellites storing the geo-location restricted data;

identifying a given time for the first satellite to move outside the defined geo-location cone;

identifying a second satellite from the LEO satellites that will still be within the defined geo-location cone at the given time; and

transferring, using laser based data transfer, the geo-location restricted data from the first satellite to the second satellite within the defined geo-location cone at, or before, the given time.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying usage of the geo-location restricted data below a threshold frequency; and

transferring, using laser based data transfer, the geo-location restricted data to a geostationary (GEO) satellite within the defined geo-location cone.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprises storing a unique identification for each LEO satellites, and wherein identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone for storing the geo-location restricted data is based on the unique identification for each LEO satellites.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone further comprises identifying a relative position between the LEO satellites.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the given geographic location earth boundary comprises a boundary of one or a specific country and a region of a group of countries for defining the geo-location cone.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geo-location cone extends through one or more LEO satellite orbits and a geostationary GEO satellite orbit.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein transferring the geo-location restricted data from the first satellite to the second satellite is based on multi-factor authentication (MFA) and multi-satellite authentication with rotating passwords backed via blockchain.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein transferring the geo-location restricted data from the first satellite to the second satellite inside the said geo-location cone is based on blockchain to maintain the geo-location restricted data within the defined geo-location cone.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprises using blockchain to track the geo-location restricted data stored within the geo-location cone and to track the LEO satellites transferring geo-location restricted data with each other.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone for storing the geo-location restricted data comprise identified LEO satellites within the LEO satellite constellation datacenter.

11. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, wherein the memory includes a computer program product configured to perform operations for implementing geo-restricted data management in satellite constellation datacenters, the operations comprising:

storing geo-location restricted data at a Low Orbit Earth (LEO) satellite constellation datacenter;

identifying a geo-location cone extending from a given geographic location earth boundary through multiple satellite orbital altitudes, the satellite constellation datacenter requires that the geo-location restricted data be stored within the geo-location cone;

identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone for storing the geo-location restricted data;

identifying a first satellite from the LEO satellites storing the geo-location restricted data;

identifying a given time for the first satellite to move outside the defined geo-location cone;

identifying a second satellite from the LEO satellites that will still be within the defined geo-location cone at the given time; and

transferring, using laser based data transfer, the geo-location restricted data from the first satellite to the second satellite within the defined geo-location cone at, or before, the given time.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:

identifying usage of the geo-location restricted data below a threshold frequency; and

transferring, using laser based data transfer, the geo-location restricted data to a geostationary (GEO) satellite within the defined geo-location cone.

13. The system of claim 11 , further comprises storing a unique identification for each LEO satellites, and wherein identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone for storing the geo-location restricted data is based on the unique identification for each of the LEO satellites.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the given geographic location earth boundary comprises a boundary of one or a specific country and a region of a group of countries for defining the geo-location cone.

15. The system of claim 11 , comprises using blockchain to track the geo-location restricted data stored within the geo-location cone and to track the LEO satellites transferring geo-location restricted data with each other.

16. A computer program product for implementing geo-restricted data management in satellite constellation datacenters, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code executable by one or more computer processors to perform an operation comprising:

storing geo-location restricted data at a Low Orbit Earth (LEO) satellite constellation datacenter;

identifying a geo-location cone extending from a given geographic location earth boundary through multiple satellite orbital altitudes, the satellite constellation datacenter requires that the geo-location restricted data be stored within the geo-location cone;

identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone for storing the geo-location restricted data;

identifying a first satellite from the LEO satellites storing the geo-location restricted data;

identifying a given time for the first satellite to move outside the defined geo-location cone;

identifying a second satellite from the LEO satellites that will still be within the defined geo-location cone at the given time; and

transferring, using laser based data transfer, the geo-location restricted data from the first satellite to the second satellite within the defined geo-location cone at, or before, the given time.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 , further comprising:

identifying usage of the geo-location restricted data below a threshold frequency; and

transferring, using laser based data transfer, the geo-location restricted data to a geostationary (GEO) satellite within the defined geo-location cone.

18. The computer program product of claim 16 , further comprises storing a unique identification for each LEO satellites, and wherein identifying LEO satellites within the defined geo-location cone for storing the geo-location restricted data is based on the unique identification for each of the LEO satellites.

19. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein the given geographic location earth boundary comprises a boundary of one or a specific country and a region of a group of countries for defining the geo-location cone.

20. The computer program product of claim 16 , further comprises using blockchain to track the geo-location restricted data stored within the geo-location cone and to track the LEO satellites transferring geo-location restricted data with each other.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 30, 2023
From: RAKSHIT, SARBAJIT K.; ALTAF, NAEEM; LEE, MINSIK; COCKROFT, JOSEPH DEAN
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062535/0560 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240259100A1 · Aug 1, 2024
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