SBIR-STTR Award

In the event that the GPS constellation was unavailable, none of the current back-up navigation and timing solutions in place today such as inertial navigation, geostationary augmentation systems or cellular positioning solutions would function, resulting in catastrophic effect on military and civil operations nationally and globally. To protect against this eventuality there is a need to develop a"Disruptive Navigation Architecture"that can provide the ability to rapidly reconstitute an equivalent capability in the event that GPS is not available. Under this SBIR effort we propose to design and demonstrate through prototyping and simulation an innovative Global Micro-Sat Positioning System (GMPS) to meet this need. We shall develop and identify the key functional performance parameters and system components needed to realize an alternate navigation solution in the absence of any GPS signals. The design for a GMPS Micro-Satellite will be developed based on existing Cubesat technology, to enable large numbers of microsats to be rapidly launched to reconstitute a global navigation and timing capability. The GMPS constellation coverage and geometry will be simulated in challenged environments and signal acquisition and tracking will be demonstrated using a Software Defined Radio (SDR) to show the expected GMPS PNT performance.

Benefit:
As both military and commercial operations have increasingly become reliant on GPS for position, navigation, and timing, the risk resulting from the loss of that capability has increased. Efforts to mitigate the effect of weak signals, jamming, and spoofing have been underway for some time, but the capability to address the complete loss of GPS remains a challenge due to the extreme cost of the existing GPS constellation and the logistics involved due to payload size and launch availability. It is anticipated that the cost effective and rapid replacement capabilities of the proposed technology will yield significant interest as a solution to the challenge of needing to rapidly deploy and reconstitute military GNSS.

Keywords:
GPS, PNT, micro-sate

Currently PEO U&W programs rely on GPS/inertial navigation systems to provide Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions. These systems cannot support precision navigation if GPS denied for extended periods. NAVSYS proposes to provide an innovative system-of-systems, open architecture PNT (SOAP) solution that will enable the Navy to take advantage of new augmentation signals and next generation sensors to provide precision, Assured PNT (A-PNT) in the absence of GPS. Under the proposed Phase II base effort we shall build two SOAP Test-Beds to demonstrate a back-up PNT capability using a commercial Software Defined Radio (SDR) integrated with our inertial InterNav software product. Testing will be performed using commercial satellites as signals of opportunity (SoOP) to provide a Global Military Positioning Service (GMPS). The SOAP Test-Beds will be used to demonstrate PNT operation in a completely denied GPS environment and provide recommendations on how the SOAP A-PNT services could be integrated into next generation tactical radios. Under the proposed Phase II Option we shall develop a SOAP A-PNT design that is compatible with an open architecture environment selected for future tactical radios in weapons and unmanned systems and we shall demonstrate the SOAP software running as a prototype open architecture A-PNT service.

Benefit:
Future threats against GPS will require next generation PNT solutions that can operate in the absence of GPS. The benefit of a tactical radio enhanced with a software application capable of providing persistent, precise navigation in a GPS-challenged or GPS-denied environment is significant. All of our military personnel will be able to execute their missions successfully even when GPS satellite signals are degraded or denied. By integrating a persistent, precise navigation capability into an existing tactical radio, SWAP-C is minimized. Private sector applications include in-door positioning using commercial SDRs and autonomous vehicle navigation where operational integrity can be preserved during these adverse conditions.

Keywords:
signals of opportunity, open-architecture, Software Defined Radio (SDR), PNT, GPS Augmentation, Jamming, GPS , inertial ---------- A robust back-up navigation alternative is needed to continue to provide accurate PVT data when GPS is denied. Navigation solutions can be enhanced by utilizing existing networked communications to enable collaborative operation in the absence of GPS using Signals of Opportunity (SoOP). These observations can be used to provide aiding to inertial and clock devices through the use of an integrated Software defined Radio (SDR). The Mobile Unmanned Air Vehicle Distributed Lethality Airborne Network (MUDLAN) is a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) of a resilient communications relay capability to support high data rate over the horizon (OTH) ISR/targeting for multi-platform sharing with distributed force operations in LPD/LPI environments. In order to support the networking operation in a GPS-denied environment, alternative PNT sources are needed. MUDLAN has purchased Dragonfly A-PNT units to provide the precision PNT and attitude information needed to support MUDLAN networking operations. Under this SBIR effort we shall integrate a System-of-systems Open Architecture PNT (SOAP) Software Defined Radio (SDR) with the Dragonfly unit to provide aiding in a GPS denied environment using signals of opportunity. The technical objectives of this demonstration effort are to: provide three (3) flight ready prototype SOAP SDR demonstration units, integrate and test the SOAP solution and data services with the MUDLAN network and Ground Entry Point, and support flight testing to demonstrate the PNT performance capable in a GPS-denied environment. The SOAP SDR units will leverage Global Military Positioning Service (GMPS) Data Distribution Services, developed under contract to the USAF, to provide data on available Signals of Opportunity (SoOP). The final demonstration will be performed during a MUDLAN flight test at a Naval FLEX demonstration event. We shall perform post-test analysis of the data collected to produce a performance assessment of the SOAP technology, operating in an emulated GPS denied environment, and shall deliver a final report including the system design and performance assessment results of the SOAP PNT solution in the absence of GPS.

Benefit:
Future threats against GPS will require next generation PNT solutions that can operate in the absence of GPS. The benefit of a tactical radio enhanced with a software application capable of providing persistent, precise navigation in a GPS-challenged or GPS-denied environment is significant. By integrating a persistent, precise navigation capability into an existing tactical radio leveraging tactical networking capabilities to provide A-PNT, SWAP-C is minimized. Private sector markets include resilient PNT application using commercial software defined radios (SDRs) and autonomous vehicle navigation where operational integrity can be preserved during these adverse conditions.

Keywords:
open-architecture, Software Defined Radio (SDR), Assured PNT (A-PNT), GPS denial, signals of opportunity, inertial, GPS JAMMING