Across the Department of Defense, efforts are underway to develop robust alternatives to GPS for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). Caliola is developing one such GPS alternative for the Navy. Our Satellite Communications [SATCOM] Antenna Pointing for Positioning (SCAPP) solution leverages the pointing vectors produced by the Navy Multiband Terminal while tracking a satellite in geosynchronous (GEO) orbit. A key lesson learned from developing SCAPP is that uncertainty in satellite ephemeris is the dominant error source for positioning from SATCOM signals of opportunity. Proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) constellations offer a far more diverse and robust set of signals from which to calculate a PNT solution than GEO constellations. It is much more challenging to mount an anti-satellite attack against an entire constellation spanning hundreds or thousands of satellites. However, three design challenges make a pLEO GPS-denied PNT system more challenging than its GEO-based counterpart: maintaining (1) frequency and (2) time stability of the satellite clocks across a massive constellation, and (3) acquiring and predicting accurate orbits for hundreds or thousands of satellites. In this SBIR, Caliola and Advanced Space will architect and design an alternate PNT system that interfaces with the Navys GPS-based PNT Service (GPNTS) system. To address the aforementioned design challenges, our proposed architecture will build on Caliolas SCAPP solution and on Advanced Spaces experience developing positioning and navigation solutions for cislunar space.
Benefit: For commercial applications, the pLEO-driven PNT solution that will be developed in this effort will extend and evolve our GEO-driven SCAPP solution. Our SCAPP family of products can provide complementary technology to trucking and delivery companies by integrating with the civil transportation infrastructure. Companies with rolling stocks of trucks, such as UPS, XPO, and JB Hunt are one potential market. Logistics intelligence and monitoring companies such as Tive are a second. The principal Department of the Navy transition target is the GPNTS Program of Record. Additionally, we will integrate with the Armys PNT Operating System to support ground-based deployments. The Army and Marine Corps are exciting transition targets because they cannot currently use our GEO-driven SCAPP solution. Their SMART-T terminals do not provide the pointing data required for SCAPP and they typically cannot access a precise timing source at the tactical edge. The pLEO extensions to SCAPP that will be developed under this SBIR effort including time transfer will thus be a critical enabler for the deployment of angles-only positioning to DoD ground forces.
Keywords: GPS, GPS, position, PLEO, Navigation, Kuiper, StarLink, timing, PNT
