Present and Future Global Navigation

Satellite Systems (GNSS)

Mohamad Asrul Mustafar1,2

Wim J.F. Simons2

Center of Studies for Surveying Science & Geomatics1 Astrodynamics and Space Missions2
Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying Faculty of Aerospace Engineering
Universiti Teknologi MARA Delft University of Technology
Perlis, Malaysia Delft, The Netherlands

What is GNSS?
Global Navigation Satellite
System
•“GNSS is a satellite system that is On Air
used to pinpoint geographic location
of a user's receiver anywhere on land
and sea, in the air or in Earth orbit.”
•A common term for GPS, GLONASS,
Galileo and BeiDou. IRNSS and QZSS
as regional navigation system for
India and Japan respectively On Land
On Sea

Global Navigation Satellite Systems

• Generic term for any system that

provides autonomous geo-spatial
positioning with global coverage
• Each system has 3 basic components
Space segment (satellites)
Control segment (maintenance and
service)
User segment (receivers, etc.)

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 GPS FOC 1995 GLONASS FOC 2010

Global
Navigation
Satellite
System

GALILEO FOC 2021? BEIDOU FOC 2020

FOC :
Full Operational
Constellation

Regional Navigation Satellite Systems

Navigation with
Indian
Constellation

(IRNSS)

Space Based Augmentation Systems:

WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, GAGAN, SDCM

GNSS status
Healthy SV Orbiting SV As of Source
GPS 30 31 1/4/2024 NAVCEN*1
GLONASS 24 26 1/4/2024 Information Analysis Centre *2

Galileo 23 28 1/4/2024 European GNSS Service Centre*3

BeiDou 44 52 1/4/2024 China Satellite Navigation Office*4

QZSS 4 5 1/4/2024 QZ-vision*5

IRNSS 8 8 1/4/2024 Indian Space Research Organisation*6

*1: [Link]
*2: [Link]
*3: [Link]
*4: [Link]
*5: [Link]
*6: [Link]
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2
 GNSS Satellite Orbits
Number of satellites: #nominal (#operational)
GPS GLONASS BeiDou Galileo
# MEO 24 (30) 24 (24) 27 (27) 30 (24)
# IGSO 3 (10)
# GEO WAAS/EGNOS 5 (7) EGNOS-2

MEO orbit parameters:

GPS GLONASS BeiDou Galileo
Orbital height 20,180 km 19,130 km 21,150 km 23,220 km
Orbital period 11 h 58 m 11 h 16 m 12 h 38 m 14 h 5 m
Revs/siderial_day 2 17/8 17/9 17/10
Inclination 55o 64.8o 55o 56o

MEO = Medium Earth Orbit WAAS, EGNOS, … are regional

IGSO = Inclined Geo Synchronous Orbit augmentation systems.
GEO = Geostationary Earth Orbit IRNSS,QZSS not included in overview.

BEIDOU
GNSS

GLONASS orbit: 19,100 km

GPS orbit: 20,200 km
Beidou orbit: 21,150km
Galileo orbit: 23,222 km

GNSS Frequencies
GPS GLONASS BeiDou Galileo
coding CDMA FDMA/CDMA CDMA CDMA
Upper L band 1575.42 (L1) 1593-1610 (G1) 1561.098 (B1) 1575.42 (E1)
(MHz) 1589.742 (-)
Lower L band 1227.06 (L2) 1237-1254 1268.52 (B3) 1278.75 (E6)
(MHz) 1176.45 (L5) (G2) 1207.14 (B2) 1207.14 (E5b)
1207.14 (G3) 1176.45 (E5a)
status is modernized CDMA planned

1575.42 (L1) - Fully operational signals

1207.14 (B2) - Signals in build up phase
1589.742 (-) Signals in build up phase

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 What is GPS
• Developed by the United States Department
of Defense (DoD) to provide a accurate
method of determining location
• Originally designed for military
applications but also provides commercial
and recreational users with worldwide
navigation coverage
• Offer:
a. Positioning accuracy from ten metre
down to the sub‐centimetre level
b. Available to all users anywhere on the
earth, 24 hours a day and all‐weather However,
system it is a military system!

Segmenting GPS

• The three segments

of GPS are the space,
control, and user

GPS Control Segment

• Control segment function:
i. Monitor and control satellite system
continuously.
ii. Determine GPS system time.
iii. Predict satellite ephemerides and
behaviour of satellite clocks
iv. Update periodically navigation message
for each particular satellite.

• This information is then packed and

uploaded into the GPS satellites
through the S-band link

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 GPS Control Segment
• Current operational control
segment includes:
a. A master control station
located at Falcon Air Force
Base, in Colorado Spring
b. Two backup master control
station-Vandenberg and
Gaithersburg
c. 12 command and control
antennas- for uploading
data into satellites
d. 16 monitoring sites
• The positions (or coordinates)
of these monitor stations are
known very precisely
[Link]

GPS Control Segment

Master Control Station (MCS)
• providing command and control of the
GPS constellation
• generates and uploads navigation
messages and ensures the health and
accuracy of the satellite constellation
• receives navigation information from
the monitor stations, utilizes this
information to compute the precise
locations of the GPS satellites in space,
and then uploads this data to the
satellites.

Monitor Stations
• Track the GPS satellites as they pass overhead
and channel their observations back to the
master control station
• collect atmospheric data, range/carrier
measurements, and navigation signals
• 16 monitoring stations located throughout the
world, including six from the Air Force and 10 Ground monitor station
from the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency (NGA)
Ground Antennas
• used to communicate with the GPS satellites for
command and control purposes
• responsible for normal command transmissions
to the satellites Ground Antennas

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 GPS Space Segment
Signals:
– Two frequencies (L1 and L2)
– C/A-code on L1
– P-code (encrypted) on L1 and L2
Satellite constellation:
– 24 nominal satellites (30 operational) (3 spare)
– Block II/IIA/IIR/IIF satellites (until 2017)
– Block III/IIIF satellites (2018 >)
– Orbital period 11 hour 58 min, Each satellite
circles the Earth twice a day
– 6 orbital planes, 55o inclination, min 4 satellites
each plane
– ~20,200 km altitude
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User Segment

• Includes anyone who captures

the transmission of the GPS
satellite in order to determine
its location
• GPS receiver convert satellite
satellite signals into position,
velocity and time
• Four satellite are required to
compute the four dimensions of
X,Y,Z and time

NAVSTAR GPS Block II Satellite

solar panels

antenna for ground

control

array of 12 helix
antennas

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GPS Satellite Ground Tracks

nearly circular orbits

orbital period 11h58m
20,200 km altitude
inclination 550
6 orbital planes

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GPS Satellite Visibility in Delft

Number of visible satellites

24-hour period

Elevation cut-off
angle 10o

1-Dec-1999

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GPS Skyplot (azimuth and elevation) for Delft
Elevation versus time plot

Skyplot (polar plot of azimuth

and elevation)

24 hour period
Elevation cut-off angle 10o
1-Dec-1999
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1-Dec-1999, 24h period

More GPS Skyplots…
North Pole Equator

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GPS Signal Components

• All signals and time information are coherently derived from the same clock
with a frequency of f0=10.23 MHz
• cesium and rubidium clocks (two each)
• clock stability better than 10-13
• To compensate for relativistic effects a frequency offset of 4.55 10-3 Hz is applied
• Two carrier frequencies
• L1 frequency 1575.42 Mhz (154*f0) L1 wavelength 19.05 cm
• L2 frequency 1227.60 Mhz (120*f0) L2 wavelength 24.45 cm
• Binary bi-phase modulation (spread spectrum modulation) with two Pseudo
Random Noise (PRN) code sequences
• Coarse/Aquisition (C/A) code on L1 with 1.023 bits/sec (0.1*f0) [1 ms long]
• Precision (P) code on L1 and L2 with 10.23 bits/sec (f0) [ 7 days long]
In case of Anti-Spoofing (A-S) the P-code is encrypted by a secret W-code,
resulting in the classified Y-code
A-S was enabled on Monday 31 January 1994 0h00m
• The PRN codes are combined with a broadcast message (50 bits/sec)
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 Pseudo Range

GPS measurements
Code arriving from satellite

Replica generated in receiver

t Time delay (Pseudo

Range measurement)

PIj = c t = || rI-r ||
j

Carrier Phase
Doppler shifted carrier from satellite

GEOCENTER Carrier generated in receiver

Principle of one-way ranging:

 Satellite clock generates signal Carrier beat signal
 Receiver clock detects signal arrival

PROBLEM:
 The two clocks must keep the same time PIj = -ij = || rI-rj || - Aij
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Examples of GPS Receivers

Geodetic Receivers Surveying Receivers

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GPS Modernization
Signal upgrade:
– Third L5 frequency (1176.45 MHz)
– Military M-code (on L1 and L2)
– Civil signals on L2 and L5
– More signal power
Satellite constellation upgrade:
– Upgrade Block IIR satellites (2005>):
– C/A like code on L2 (now 5 sats)
– M-code on L1 and L2
– Block IIF satellites (2009>):
– C/A-code on L2
– M-code on L1 and L2
– New L5 signal
– Block III satellites (2018>)

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Modernized Signal Evolution
L5 L2 L1
C/A
P(Y) P(Y)

Present Signal

C/A C/A
P(Y) P(Y)
New Civil General
Utility Signal
C/A C/A
Civil Safety of Life M M
P(Y) P(Y)
Applications and
New Military
Signals 1176 MHz 1227 MHz 1575 MHz
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GPS satellites

[Link]

GLO bal’naya
NA igatsionnaya
S putnikova
S istema

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10
 Introduction to Glonass
GLONASS
• Russian satellite navigation system
• Not operational (anymore)
first launch in 1982 (GPS in 1978)
complete constellation in 1996 (GPS in 1993)
in 2005: 14 satellites remaining (GPS 28 satellites)
• GLONASS is rebuilding
Modernized Glonass-M (> 2003) and new Glonass-K (> 2009)
Extended lifetime for Glonass-M (7 years) and Glonass-K (10 years)
Several new launches in 2006, 2007
18 operational satellites in 2008, plan for 24 satellites by 2010
new signals and regional augmentation planned
• Only GNSS to use FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access)
• New signals (CDMA) transmitted by new satellites to improve compatibility
with other systems
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GLONASS
Baseline and new signals

GLONASS satellite constellation

24

22
20

18
16

14
12

10
8

6
4

2
0
1 Jan 1982

1 Jan 1983

1 Jan 1984

1 Jan 1985

1 Jan 1986

1 Jan 1987

1 Jan 1988

1 Jan 1989

1 Jan 1990

1 Jan 1991

1 Jan 1992

1 Jan 1993

1 Jan 1994

1 Jan 1995

1 Jan 1996

1 Jan 1997

1 Jan 1998

1 Jan 1999

1 Jan 2000

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GLONASS signal structure (2)

Difference GLONASS and GPS signals
carrier + PRN-code modulation

GLONASS: satellites transmit the same PRN-code on

different carrier frequencies
GPS: satellites transmit different PRN-codes on
the same carrier frequency

also: GPS PRN-codes are transmitted with a higher

chip-rate than GLONASS PRN-codes

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36

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The 4 GALILEO arguments
- European independence and sovereignty
- Industrial politics

Political

Social Technological
- Better and new services for the citizens
- Improved safety of transport systems - Technological lead to European industry
- Environmental benefits - Explore synergy of a number of technologies

Economic
- Global market shares
- Global competitiveness of all segments
of the Value Chain
- Employment
- Efficiency of transport industry
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GALILEO Services

Open Service (OS) Freely accessible service for

positioning, navigation and timing

Public Regulated Service Encrypted service designed for greater

(PRS) robustness and higher availability

Search and Rescue Assists locating people in distress and

Service (SAR) confirms that help is on the way

Commercial Service (CS) Delivers authentication and high accuracy

services for commercial applications

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Galileo Launches

??

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 GALILEO DATA

altitude ~23616 km
Walker 27/3/1 SMA 29993.707 km
Constellation

inclination 56 degrees

• period 14 hours 4 min

27 + 3 satellites in three • ground track repeat about 10 days
Medium Earth Orbits (MEO)

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Galileo Signals

Signals Power Spectral Densities

Comparison between ideal and measured

from Satellite 7 on the three Galileo
bands:
•E1
•E5
•E6

Galileo Initial Services

declared on
15th December 2016

Galileo’s Ground Segment

Svalbard

Jan Mayen
Kiruna

Redu
StPierre&M.
Azores
Fucino
USNO
Cyprus
Maspalomas

Kourou

Ascension

Wallis

Réunion
Nouméa
Papeete

Kerguelen

Galileo Sensor Station (GSS) Troll Terre Adélie

(spare)
Up-Link Station (ULS)

Telemetry, Tracking and

Command Station (TTC)
SAR MEOLUT Station GGTO

Kuala Lumpur, 22nd May 2017 42

BELS

14
 Ground segment: Galileo Control Centres (GCC)

GPS versus Galileo

GPS Satellites: Galileo Satellites:
24 nominal (27 operational) 27 nominal + 3 active spare
circular orbits 26,561 km circular obits 29,600 km
Orbit period 11h58m (1/2) Orbital period 14h05m (10/17)
inclination 550 , 6 orbit planes inclination 560 , 3 orbit planes

GPS Signals (3+5): Galileo Signals (10):

Two frequencies (L1=1575.42 MHz Four frequencies (L1, L5(E5a), E5b=
and L2=1227.60 MHz) 1207.14 MHz, E6=1278.75)
Civil signal on L1 (C/A) Open service (OS) on L1, E5a and
Military signals on L1 and L2 (P(Y)) E5b, data+pilot channel, 6 signals
Planned modernisation (+5): Public Regulated (PRS), “safety of life”
Third frequency (L5=1176.45 MHz) (SAS) and commercial (CS) services
on e.g. E6, 4 signals
New civil signals on L2 and L5
Integrated integrity service
Plus two new military signals

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BEIDOU

• China PDR contribution to GNSS

• Development started in late 90s
• Regional services since 2012
• Global service 23rd June 2020 (Completion of BDS-3)

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 8 GEO satellites (+1 test) (1/4/2023)
10 IGSO satellites (+2 experiment)
27 MEO satellites (+2 experiment)

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BeiDou Ground Tracks (MEO)

BeiDou Ground Tracks (GEO & IGSO)

GEO
Right ascension of the ascending
node (RAAN) GEO IGSO
158.75E, 180E, 210.5E, 240E,260E

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NavIC - IRNSS

NavIC Characteristics
• L and S-band navigation signals
• 3 GEO satellites (32.5o E, 83oE and 129.5o E)
• 5 GSO satellites (55o (3) and 111.75o (2) inclination)
• Radius orbit 36,000km
• First launch in 2013
• Last launch in 2018

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NavIC - IRNSS-1 Series Satellites

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 Geosynchronous
Geosynchronous

Geostationary

Geostationary

Around the Earth - Equatorial view Around the Earth - Polar view

Geostationary

Geosynchronous
Geosynchronous
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Geostationary
Earth Fixed Frame - Equatorial view Earth Fixed Frame - Polar view

QZSS (Michibiki)
• four-satellite constellation from November
2018
• three satellites are visible at all times from
locations in the Asia-Oceania region.
• can be used in an integrated way with GPS
• sufficient number of satellites for stable
• high-precision positioning
• QZS are compatible with GPS and receivers
can be procured at a low cost

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QZSS Deployment Plan

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QZSS Constellation
PRN SVN Satellite Launch Date (UTC) Orbit (*1) Positioning Signals Clock(*2)
194 2 QZS02 1/6/2017 QZO L1C/A, L1C, L2C, L5 RB
184 L1S
184 L5S
194 L6
199 3 QZS03 19/8/2017 GEO L1C/A, L1C, L2C, L5 RB
189 L1S
189 L5S
137 L1Sb
199 L6
195 4 QZS04 9/10/2017 QZO L1C/A, L1C, L2C, L5 RB
185 L1S
185 L5S
195 L6
196 5 QZS1R 26/10/2021 QZO L1C/A, L1C, L2C, L5 RB
186 L1S
186 L5S
196 L6
193 1 QZS01 11/9/2010 QZO L1C/A, L1C, L2C, L5 RB
183 L1S
193 L6

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GNSS Signals

19
 Number of GPS Visibility

58

Number of GLONASS Visibility

59

Number of GALILEO Visibility

60

20
 Number of BEIDOU Visibility

61

[Link]

Compatibility
Compatibility is a mandatory requirement to share frequency bands
without harmful interference

Total number
of SatNav
satellites

21