Navigation Using Doppler Shift from LEO Constellations and INS Data

Brian McLemore and Mark L. Psiaki

Abstract:	Absolute navigation using the downlink communication signals of massive LEO constellations augmented by data from an Inertial Navigation System (INS) is considered. Lack of atomic clocks on-board LEO satellites requires the use of Doppler shift as a navigation observable. Furthermore, footprint limits of downlink signals’ beams necessitates the use of a tightlycoupled INS/radio-navigation filter in order to compensate for the fact that it is not possible to measure carrier Doppler shift simultaneously from 8 or more satellites. The navigation solution error is shown for a situation which demonstrates the feasibility of combining measurements from LEO constellations and INS data to enable GNSS-like navigation capabilities. Finally, an investigation is performed to study how navigation solution error is affected by IMU quality, signal availability, and downlink spot beam steering protocol.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 33rd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2020) September 21 - 25, 2020
Pages:	3071 - 3086
Cite this article:	McLemore, Brian, Psiaki, Mark L., "Navigation Using Doppler Shift from LEO Constellations and INS Data," Proceedings of the 33rd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2020), September 2020, pp. 3071-3086. https://doi.org/10.33012/2020.17670
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In