REVIEW article
Front. Phys.
Sec. Space Physics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphy.2025.1592447
This article is part of the Research TopicFrontiers in Multi-Source Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT)View all 9 articles
Survey on Positioning Technology Based on Signal of Opportunity from Low Earth Orbit
Provisionally accepted
- National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
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Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) services are essential for supporting various aspects of modern society. Fields such as communications, transportation, and military operations heavily rely on accurate and reliable PNT services, with this dependence expected to grow. However, the limitations of the predominant Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in complex environments have become increasingly apparent. As an effective supplementary approach, space-based signals of opportunity (SOPs) from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) have garnered significant attention. This paper begins by introducing the principle of Doppler location and analyzing its error sources. It then discusses in detail the methods of observation extraction, including cognitive-based and blind-based methods. Focusing on major domestic and international LEO constellations (such as Iridium, Orbcomm, Globalstar, Starlink, OneWeb, etc.), this paper summarizes their signal characteristics and the current status of positioning research, and discusses the latest advancements in observable estimation algorithms. Finally, the paper proposes key research directions for the future, including breakthroughs in satellite recognition technology, optimization of positioning algorithms, development of multi-source fusion positioning technology, and observation extraction in complex environments.
Keywords: observational estimation, PNT, Leo, Signal of opportunity, Doppler positioning
Received: 12 Mar 2025; Accepted: 30 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 He, Ni, Lin, Liu and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhibing Xiao, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China
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