To meet constraints on size, weight, and power consumption in small satellite platforms and explore alternative solutions for radio frequency and laser-based communication in medium- and short-distance inter-satellite links, this study explores the feasibility of visible-light communication (VLC) based medium- and short-distance inter-satellite communication in multi-satellite networks. Using the satellite tool kit (STK), the binary star formation flying configuration is constructed, background-light noise introduced by the sun and stars is quantitatively analyzed, and a medium- and short-range inter-satellite VLC link model is constructed. Then, to improve the link capacity and reliability, the VLC link is further developed into a single-input multi-output VLC (SIMO-VLC) system. The influences of different diversity merging algorithms on the link’s performance are evaluated by numerical simulation. Simulation results show that the stray light power introduced by solar radiation is below 10 μW throughout most of the time period, and the background light power introduced from the ground is reduced by 75%. In order to achieve a data transmission rate of 112.5 Mbit/s and a bit error rate of 1×10 ^-6 within 20 km, the light power required by the system is at least 4.55 W. Compared with the single-input single-output system, the SIMO-based diversity detection scheme can achieve better performance, and the required transmission power and communication distance are effectively improved with the increase of the receiving branch, which can provide a reference for the design of VLC-based inter-satellite links and extending their outdoor application scenarios.