ECE405 - Satellite Communication 1

ECE405 Satellite Communication
ECE405 - Satellite Communication 1

GNSS ARCHITECTURE
GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, and is the standard generic term
for satellite navigation systems that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with
global coverage

Global Navigation Satellite System
GNSS Positioning If you have a GNSS receiver, it is unlikely that
you will ever be lost again.
 GNSS positioning is based on a process called “trilateration.”
Simply put, if you don’t know your position, but do know your
distance from three known points, you can trilaterate your
location.

GNSS Positioning

GNSS Positioning

GNSS Positioning

Basic GNSS Concept

Basic GNSS Concept
Step 1 - Satellites: GNSS satellites orbit the earth. The satellites know their orbit ephemerides
(the parameters that define their orbit) and the time very, very accurately. Ground-based control
stations adjust the satellites’ ephemerides and time, when necessary.
Step 2 - Propagation:
GNSS satellites regularly broadcast their ephemerides and time, as well as their status. GNSS
radio signals pass through layers of the atmosphere to the user equipment.
Step 3 - Reception:
GNSS user equipment receives the signals from multiple GNSS satellites then, for each
satellite, recovers the information that was transmitted and determines the time of propagation,
the time it takes the signals to travel from the satellite to the receiver.
Step 4 - Computation:
GNSS user equipment uses the recovered information to compute time and position.
Step 5 - Application:
GNSS user equipment utilizes the position and time information in their applications, for
example, navigation, surveying or mapping
Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 8

Global Positioning System
Developed and maintained by the US Department of Defence (DOD)
Orbiting navigational satellites

 Transmit position and time data
Handheld receivers calculate
 latitude
 longitude
 altitude
 velocity
History of the GPS
 1969—Defence Navigation Satellite System (DNSS) formed
 1973—NAVSTAR Global Positioning System developed
 1978—first 4 satellites launched, Delta rocket launch
 1993—24th satellite launched; initial operational capability
 1995—full operational capability
 May 2000—Military accuracy available to all users

Segments of GPS
1. Space Segment
A constellation of 24 satellites
2. Monitor Station/Control Segment
A network of earth-based facilities
3. Users & Equipment
Space segment
 24 satellite vehicles
 Six orbital planes
 Inclined 55° with respect to equator
 Orbits separated by 60°
 20,200 km elevation above Earth
 Orbital period of 11 hr 55 min
 Five to eight satellites visible from any point on Earth

GPS Constellation

GPS Satellite Vehicle
 Four atomic clocks

 Three nickel-cadmium batteries
 Two solar panels
 Battery charging
 Power generation
 1136 watts
 S band antenna—satellite control
 12 element L band antenna—user communication
Weight
 2370 pounds
Height
 16.25 feet
Width
 38.025 feet including wing span
Design life
 10 years

Control segment
 Tracking stations around
the world
o 1 Master control station
– Command & Control
o 1 Alternate control station
– Backup
o 16 Monitor stations
– Orbit monitoring
o 4 dedicated ground antenna
– Communication

Control segment

User segment
 GPS antennas & receiver/processors
 Position
 Velocity
 Precise timing
Application
 Aircraft
 Ground vehicles
 Ships
 Individuals

How does GPS work?
 Satellite ranging
 Satellite locations
 Satellite to user distance
 Need four satellites to determine position
 Distance measurement
 Radio signal traveling at speed of light
 Measure time from satellite to user
 Low-tech simulation
 Pseudo-Random Code
 Complex signal
 Unique to each satellite
 All satellites use same frequency
 Economical

Basic GPS Trilateration- Ranging to First Satellite

Ranging to Second Satellite

Basic GPS Trilateration- Position Error

Detecting Position Error

Convergence

Dilution of Precision (DOP)
The geometric arrangement of satellites, as they are presented to the receiver, affects the
accuracy of position and time calculations.
Receivers will ideally be designed to use signals from available satellites in a manner
that minimizes this so called “dilution of precision
DOP is a numerical representation of satellite geometry, and it is dependent on the

locations of satellites that are visible to the receiver.
• The smaller the value of DOP , the more precise the result of the time or position
calculation.
The relationship is shown as:
Inaccuracy of Position Measurement = DOP x Inaccuracy of Range Measurement
So, if DOP is very high, the inaccuracy of the position measurement will be much larger
than the inaccuracy of the range measurement.

Poor - DOP

High - DOP

GPS Frequency Plan
The satellites broadcast ranging codes and navigation data on two frequencies using a technique
called code division multiple access (CDMA); that is, there are only two frequencies in use by the
system, called L1 (1,575.42 MHz) and L2 (1,227.6 MHz)
Each satellite generates a short code referred to as the coarse/acquisition or C/A code and a long
code denoted as the precision or P(Y) code.
The C/A code has a 1-ms period and repeats constantly, whereas the P-code satellite transmission is
a 7-day sequence that repeats approximately every Saturday/Sunday midnight.

GPS Frequency Plan
• The GPS employs quadrature Binary Phase Shift Keying
(BPSK) modulation at two frequencies (CDMA)
 L1 = 1,575.42 MHz
o 1 = 19 cm
 L2 = 1,227.6 MHz
o 2 = 24 cm
• Two main PRN codes

 C/A: Course acquisition
o 10-bit 1 MHz
 P: Precise
o 40 bit 10 MHz
o Encrypted P(Y) code

Application of GPS Technology
 Location - determining a basic position
 Navigation - getting from one location to another
 Tracking - monitoring the movement of things
 Mapping - creating maps of the world
 Timing - bringing precise timing to the world
 Private and recreation
 Traveling by car
 Hiking, climbing, biking
 Vehicle control
 Mapping, survey, geology
 English Channel Tunnel
 Agriculture
 Aviation
 General and commercial
 Spacecraft
 Maritime
Determining Satellite-to-User Range

Determining GPS Position

Determining Position


The satellite clock offset from system time, δt, is assumed to be negligible

Determination of Position Velocity & Time
GPS receiver
(x,y,z)
Sat3
(x3,y3,z3)
All measurements in Earth-Centered Earth-Fixed coordinates

Kalman filtering provides a means for improving PVT estimates based on optimal
processing of time sequence measurements


Determination of PVT
If we know approximately where the receiver is, then we can denote the offset of the true
position) from the approximate position by a displacement
Let a single pseudo range be represented by
Using the approximate position location and time bias estimate

approximate pseudo range can be calculated

using a Taylor series

Solving the first-order partial derivatives to eliminate nonlinear terms

Re-writing by introducing new variables
unit vector



GNSS Signal representation
Navigation data Ranging Code
𝒚𝒊 𝒕 = 𝟐𝑪𝒊 𝒅𝒊 (𝒕)𝒄𝒊 (𝒕) 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟐𝝅𝒇𝒊 𝒕 + 𝝋𝒊
Carrier Power Carrier frequency Carrier Phase

GPS Frame
Sub-frame 1
o Clock correction parameters, giving the satellite clock offset from GPS time.
o Coefficient of the ionosphere propagation delay model for single frequency users
(only L1 detection).
Sub-frame 2 and 3
o Satellite ephemeris from which satellite coordinates in instantaneous coordinate
system can be determined.
Sub-frame 4
o Reserved for alphanumeric message for future applications and almanac data
for satellites 25 through 32
Sub-frame 5
o Almanac data for one satellite, successive sub-frames (5) will contain almanac
data for up to 24 satellites.
First 3 sub-frames are refreshed every hour with ephemeris data that are applicable to
new time period (and are valid for 1.5 hours). Sub-frames 4 and 5 are refreshed at the
upload time (nominally each day).

GNSS Signal representation

GNSS Received Signal
𝒚𝒊 𝒕 = ෍ 𝟐𝑪𝒊 𝒅𝒊 (𝒕 − 𝝉)𝒄𝒊 (𝒕 − 𝝉) 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟐𝝅 𝒇𝑹𝑭 + 𝒇𝒅,𝒊 𝒕 + 𝝋𝒊

𝒊=𝟏
Code Delay Doppler Delay

Determining GPS Position
 Accurate timing is the key to measuring distance to satellites.

 Satellites are accurate because they have four atomic clocks ($100,000 each) on
board.
 Receiver clocks don't have to be too accurate because an extra satellite range
measurement can remove errors.
 Each satellite has a very accurate clock, 0.000000003 seconds

National GPS
GPS in USA
GLONASS in Russia
GALILEO in European countries
COMPASS in China

GPS Errors and Accuracy
Accurate determination of position by GPS depends on treatment of various types of errors
inherent in the technology. Errors in GPS observations can be categorized on the bases of
nature or source of errors as follows:
On the basis of nature of errors
•Random errors
• Instrument noise
•Systematic errors
• Satellite related errors
• Receiver related errors
• Signal propagation errors
•Gross errors
• Loss of satellite signal
• Corruption of GPS signals due to any power line or object having magnetic
characteristics
• Improper levelling and/or centring of receiver antenna
• Errors in measuring height of antenna centre from ground

• On the basis of sources of errors in GPS observations
• Satellite dependent
• Originate from satellite or are found to be part of satellite transmitted signals
• Orbit related: Ephemeris errors and orbit perturbations

• Satellite clock
• Selective Availability (SA)
• Receiver Dependent
• Originate from receiver
• Receiver clock
• Cycle slips
• Antenna phase centre movement
• Receiver noise
• Observation medium dependent
• Originate during signal propagation from satellite to receiver
• Ionosphere delay
• Tropospheric delay
• Station dependent
• Multipath
• Some of these errors may be systematic which change from one epoch to another whereas the random errors
need to be distributed and adjusted within the set of GPS observations.

Satellite dependent errors
Satellite dependent errors result in ephemeris errors (EE) as a result of (a) natural orbital perturbations due to
various forces and (b) other factors such as selective availability (SA) and drift in satellite clocks.
•Satellite dependent EE are most difficult to completely model, correct and compensate for because many forces
acting on the predicted orbit of a satellite are difficult to measure directly. Satellite orbital bias is defined as the
discrepancy between the true position (and velocity) of a satellite and its broadcast ephemeris .
•Satellite position as a function of time, included in broadcast navigation message, are predicted from previous GPS
observations at ground control stations.
•Ephemeris information to calculate GPS satellite positions is generated from the tracking data collected by five
monitor stations of the control segment. The collected tracking data is processed at the MCS and the satellite
navigation message information is uploaded to every satellite. Errors in the prediction of a satellite position are
transmitted to the user in the satellite data message and are available to GPS users at the time of observation.
•Satellite motion is controlled by Keplerian laws which in mean sense considers motion about ideal earth having
perfectly radial gravitational field and no atmosphere.
•Ideal earth : Spherical earth having axis of rotation passing through its centre of gravity (CG) and having
homogeneous mass distribution.
•Real earth : Earth is non-homogeneous body of random mass distribution and non radial gravitational field. Hence,
motion is governed by Newton's laws where satellite position in space described by six Keplerian elements.

Effects of orbital bias
•Errors resulting from the accuracy of the orbit computation procedure itself
Data used are P code pseudo-ranges, and although the tracking geometry is not strong (most of the tracking stations
are in the equatorial belt), accuracies better than 5 m are achievable.
•Errors resulting from unpredictable orbital motion during the period since upload
These are essentially the prediction errors. Their magnitude can vary from a few meters (close to the time of navigation
message upload) to several tens of meters.
•EE depends on:
• Number and location of tracking stations
• Orbital force model
• Satellite geometry
•EE are uncorrelated between satellites and affect both code and phase measurements .
•EE produce equal error shifts in calculated absolute point positions where height is a weakly determined component
because there are no satellites below the horizon . This component is usually of the order of 2 or 3 times less accurate
than the horizontal components.
•EE of a particular satellite is identical to all users world wide. However, different users see the same satellite at
different view angles, hence its effect on range measurement and consequently on computed positions is different.
•Therefore, use of single receiver operation propagates orbit error into the position results and results in amplification
of positional error. While using two receivers, both will be in error by nearly the same amount (function of the distance
between the two receivers - the closer they are, the more similar the error due to orbital bias). Use of Relative or
differential positioning (DGPS), therefore, is an effective strategy for minimizing the effect of this bias using
differencing operation.
•Magnitude of error: usually in the order of 2 to 5 m, can be up to 50 m under SA. Range error due to combined effect of
ephemeris and satellite clock ≈ 2.3 m (1 σ level).

Types of satellite ephemerides
There are two types of ephemerides (plural of ephemeris or file of values from which the position and velocity
information of satellite at a given time can be derived):
(i) Broadcast ephemerides
(ii) Precise ephemerides
(i) Broadcast ephemerides

•These are actually predicted satellite positions broadcast within the navigation message that are transmitted from the
satellites in real time.
•Satellites tracking data obtained from monitor stations is used by MCS to compute new parameters for the satellite
orbits which are transmitted back to the satellites.
•Upload is performed daily with new predicted orbital elements and transmitted every hour by the navigation message.
•This ephemerides is acquired in real time by a receiver capable of acquiring either the C/A or P-code.
(ii) Precise ephemerides

•These are based on actual tracking data that are post-processed to obtain the more accurate satellite positions.
•These are available at a later date and are more accurate than the broadcast ephemerides because they are based on
actual tracking data and not predicted data.
•For non-military users, these ephemerides are available in post-mission mode with delay from 12 hr for IGS ultra
rapid orbit to about 12 days for the most precise IGS precise service. Corresponding accuracies for these precise orbits
are in order of a few decimeters to 1 decimeter respectively. Details of different ephemerides is given in Table 9.2
where the term latency indicates the time gap after which the data is available.

How accurate is GPS?
• Time spent on measurement
• Design of receiver
• Post processing
• Relative positions of satellites, technically known as PDOP

(Position dilution of precision)

GPS Errors and Accuracy - Summary
Sources of Errors Effect
 Non-sphericity of earth
Gravitational  General relativity
 Tidal attraction
 Solar radiation pressure
Satellite Non-  Air drag Orbital error
Gravitational  Solar wind
 Magnetic field
 Satellite clock
Others
 Selective availability
 Ionosphere refraction
Tropospheric refraction Signal delays
Signal 
Propagation  Multipath
Increase in received
 Special relativity
frequency
 Antenna phase centre variation
Receiver  Receiver clock bias Error in observed PRN
 Receiver noise

Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
Satellite Location
GEO – 3 No. 35°E, 84°E, 130°E
Inclination 30°
GSO – 4 No.
RAAN - 55°E, 111°E
Master Control Station 1
Range and Integrity Monitoring

5
System
Command stations 5

IRNSS
1) The Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System comprising seven satellites would be
able to provide navigation system with much better accuracy and targeted position.
2) It is designed to provide accurate real-time positioning and timing services over India
and region extending to 1,500 km around India.
3) The system is very much similar to the GPS of the US which has 24 satellites, GLONASS of
Russia (24 satellites), Galileo of Europe (27 satellites) and China's COMPASS (35 satellites).
4) The system will be used for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster
management, vehicle tracking and fleet management, integration with mobile phones,
precise timing, mapping and geodetic data capture, terrestrial navigation aid for hikers and
travellers, visual and voice navigation for drivers.
5) ISRO launched sixth navigation satellite IRNSS-1G on April 28, 2016, IRNSS-1F on March
10, 2016, the other five being IRNSS-1A on July 1, 2013, IRNSS-1B (April 4, 2014), IRNSS-1C
(October 16, 2014), IRNSS-1D (March 28, 2015) and IRNSS-1E (January 20, 2016),
6) Total cost of all the seven satellites was Rs. 1,420 crore and it has a 12-year mission life

Reference

Advanced GNSS Concepts
Differential GNSS ~ A commonly used technique for improving GNSS
o Using the code-based positioning technique
o Using the (precisely) known locations of the
base station and the satellites, the location of
satellites being determined from the
precisely known orbit ephemerides and
satellite time.

Method of Differential Correction
o The reference ground station(s) at known locations receive NAVSTAR
signals (Navigation Satellite Timing & Ranging)
o Knowing position of the station, the pseudo-range to each SV is

calculated based on the almanac
o The measured pseudo range, PRM(t), is determined
o The pseudo range correction is calculated as the difference
o The pseudo range correction, PRC(t), and the Range Rate Correction
RRC(t) are sent from the reference ground station

• Local GPS calculates corrected position

Corrected pseudorange = pseudorange measured +
pseudorange correction
𝑃𝑅(𝑡) = 𝑃𝑅𝑀(𝑡) + 𝑃𝑅𝐶(𝑡)


Why Differential GPS?
• Each timing signal that goes into a position

calculation has some error and thus the calculation
is going to be a compounding of these errors.
• DGPS continues to be a key tool for highly precise
navigation on land and sea. DGPS can yield
measurements accurate to a couple of meters in
moving applications and even better in stationary
situations.

Idea Behind Differential GPS….
There is one receiver measuring the timing errors and then it
provides correction information to the other receivers that are
roving around. In this way virtually all errors can be eliminated
from the system.
The reference receiver is fixed at a point that is accurately
surveyed. This reference station receives the same GPS signals
as the roving receivers but instead of using timing signals to
calculate its position, it uses its known position to calculate
timing

Types Differential GPS
o Local Area DGPS (LADGPS)
o Wide-Area DGPS (WADGPS)
LADGPS (Local Area DGPS) typically covers an area up to

several tens of kilometers. It covers an entire region or a country.
LADGPS is a form of DGPS in which the user’s GPS receiver
receives real-time pseudo range, and carrier phase corrections
from a reference receiver generally located within the line of
sight.

Types Differential GPS
The corrections account for the combined effects of
navigation message ephemeris and satellite clock errors.
Atmospheric propagation delay errors at the reference station
are also corrected.

Wide-Area DGPS (WADGPS)
o WADGPS is a form of DGPS in which the user’s receiver receives
corrections determined from a network of reference stations distributed
over a wide geographical area.
o Separate corrections are determined for specific error sources, such as
satellite clock, ionosphere propagation delay, and ephemeris.
o The corrections are applied in the user’s receiver or attached computer in
computing the receiver’s coordinates.
o The corrections are typically supplied in real time by way of a geostationary
communication satellite or through a network of ground-based transmitters


Figure illustrates a network of reference stations, one or

more central processing sites, and a data link to provide
corrections to users.
Each reference station includes one/more GPS receivers that
measure pseudorange and carrier phase for the broadcast
signals from all visible satellites.
This data is provided to the central processing site, which
process the raw data to develop estimates of the broadcast
ephemeris and broadcast clock errors for each satellite.

Typical Error Budget
Summary of GPS Error Sources
Typical Error (in Meters) Standard GPS Differential GPS
Satellite Clocks 1.5 0
Orbit Errors 2.5 0
Ionosphere 5.0 0.4
Troposphere 0.5 0.2
Receiver Noise 0.3 0.3
Multipath 0.6 0.6

Tutorial
#1. Observer location (0, 0, 6378 Km) measures clock delay of 0.17097528 sec from all four GPS
satellites.
satellite range measured are(0, 13280.5, 23002.5), (0, -13280.5, 23002.5), (13280.5,0, 23002.5)
and (-13280.5, 0, 23002.5).
What is the Clock offset error in GPS receiver? Assume velocity of signal as 2.99792458x105
km/s.

Solution

Satish Dhawan Space Centre

Satish Dhawan Space Centre

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ECE405 Satellite Communication

ECE405 - Satellite Communication 1

ECE405 - Satellite Communication 2

 GNSS positioning is based on a process called “trilateration.”

ECE405 - Satellite Communication 3

ECE405 - Satellite Communication 4

ECE405 - Satellite Communication 5

ECE405 - Satellite Communication 6

ECE405 - Satellite Communication 7

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 8

Developed and maintained by the US Department of Defence (DOD)

Orbiting navigational satellites

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 9

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 10

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 11

 Four atomic clocks

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 12

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 13

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 14

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 15

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 16

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 17

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 18

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 19

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 20

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 21

DOP is a numerical representation of satellite geometry, and it is dependent on the

The relationship is shown as:

Inaccuracy of Position Measurement = DOP x Inaccuracy of Range Measurement

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 22

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 23

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 24

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 25

• Two main PRN codes

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 26

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 28

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 29

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 30

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 31

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 32

All measurements in Earth-Centered Earth-Fixed coordinates

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 34

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 35

Let a single pseudo range be represented by

Using the approximate position location and time bias estimate

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 36

using a Taylor series

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 37

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 38

Re-writing by introducing new variables

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 39

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 40

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 41

Navigation data Ranging Code

𝒚𝒊 𝒕 = 𝟐𝑪𝒊 𝒅𝒊 (𝒕)𝒄𝒊 (𝒕) 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟐𝝅𝒇𝒊 𝒕 + 𝝋𝒊

Carrier Power Carrier frequency Carrier Phase

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 42

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 43

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 44

𝒚𝒊 𝒕 = ෍ 𝟐𝑪𝒊 𝒅𝒊 (𝒕 − 𝝉)𝒄𝒊 (𝒕 − 𝝉) 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝟐𝝅 𝒇𝑹𝑭 + 𝒇𝒅,𝒊 𝒕 + 𝝋𝒊

Code Delay Doppler Delay

Dr. S. Hariharan, SENSE, VIT. ECE405 - Satellite Communication 45

 Accurate timing is the key to measuring distance to satellites.