Investigating the Impact of the May 2024 Geomagnetic Storm on LEO Satellites at Different Orbital Altitudes

Wei Li, Y. T. Jade Morton

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	This study investigates the impact of the May 2024 geomagnetic storm on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers performance onboard Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites across a broad range of orbital altitudes (320–830 km). Observations from multiple LEO satellite constellations, including Swarm, COSMIC-2, Sentinel, MetOp-B/C, and Spire Global, were analyzed in terms of cycle slip occurrence, loss of signal lock, and carrier phase noise during the pre-storm, main, and recovery phases. Results show that GNSS signal degradation was most pronounced during the main phase of the storm. The cycle slip occurrence rate exhibited a clear altitude-dependent pattern: decreasing from 320 km to 580 km, increasing between 580 km and 810 km, and decreasing again from 810 km to 830 km. A similar trend was observed in the loss of signal lock, with a turning point around 380 km. Phase noise showed a comparable variation. These findings emphasize the altitude-sensitive effects of space weather on GNSS signal quality and offer guidance for designing more resilient LEO-based navigation and remote sensing systems.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2025) September 8 - 12, 2025 Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor Baltimore, Maryland
Pages:	3318 - 3328
Cite this article:	Li, Wei, Morton, Y. T. Jade, "Investigating the Impact of the May 2024 Geomagnetic Storm on LEO Satellites at Different Orbital Altitudes," Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2025), Baltimore, Maryland, September 2025, pp. 3318-3328. https://doi.org/10.33012/2025.20388
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