MADRID — UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía is working with the European Space Agency (ESA) on a project that explores how communication signals from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites could help uncrewed aircraft navigate when GPS and other satellite navigation services are unavailable or unreliable.
ESA is funding the research through its Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP) Element 2. Inster-Grupo Oesía leads the consortium, which also includes UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía, CTTC and SICWAVE.
The researchers will examine signals of opportunity from LEO communication satellites, particularly those operating in the Ka-band. These signals normally support communications rather than navigation, but they may also provide measurements that aircraft can use to estimate their position.
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How will LEO signals support drone navigation?
UAV Navigation-Grupo Oesía will integrate positioning measurements derived from LEO communication signals into its autopilot technology for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). The autopilot's navigation algorithms will combine the positioning measurements with inertial data, air data, available Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals and potentially vision-based navigation.
The project will also investigate how multibeam, electronically steered antennas can contribute to positioning. These antennas can receive signals from LEO communication satellites and provide measurements that the aircraft's navigation system can process alongside information from its other sensors.
The researchers are particularly interested in highly directional antennas used for wideband satellite communications. Their ability to focus on signals arriving from specific directions could offer greater resistance to jamming and spoofing than conventional omnidirectional GNSS antennas.
Why use communication satellites for navigation?
Military drones often operate in environments where electronic warfare systems can interfere with satellite navigation. Jamming can prevent a receiver from obtaining usable positioning signals, while spoofing can introduce misleading information.
Inertial navigation systems can continue tracking aircraft movement without external signals, although measurement errors accumulate over time. Additional positioning information from LEO satellites could help limit those errors.
Emerging communication constellations such as Europe's IRIS² could provide signals for this approach. The consortium plans to test the approach in a flight-representative environment to assess its feasibility and navigation performance.
The work supports European efforts to develop navigation technologies that rely less heavily on conventional GNSS services, particularly for defense, security and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
