Precise positioning has become increasingly critical for applications ranging from autonomous mobility to resilient infrastructure monitoring, yet current Global Navigation Satellite Systems often suffer from weak signals, urban multipath interference, and vulnerability to jamming. A new study published in Satellite Navigation reveals that Low Earth Orbit satellite-based Positioning, Navigation and Timing systems could address these limitations through enhanced signal strength and improved satellite geometry.
Researchers from Tampere University and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona conducted extensive simulations evaluating LEO-PNT performance across representative outdoor environments. Their work, detailed in the publication available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s43020-025-00186-5, analyzed 400 users across European regions in five outdoor scenarios using 192,000 Monte-Carlo simulations. The study examined key variables including carrier bands at 1.5, 5, and 10 GHz, Effective Isotropic Radiated Power levels, and various constellation designs.
The findings indicate that optimized LEO constellations, particularly when operating in hybrid mode with existing GNSS systems, significantly improve accuracy and maintain strong performance in urban scenarios where traditional navigation degrades. In harsh urban canyon conditions, GNSS accuracy degraded up to seven-fold, while LEO-PNT maintained stable ranging performance with limited loss. The research shows that an EIRP of 50 dBm is sufficient for high-quality outdoor positioning when operating in L- and C-bands, though 10 GHz platforms require higher power to compensate for path loss.
Multi-shell constellations such as Çelikbilek-1 and Marchionne-2 delivered a favorable balance between satellite count and global geometry, outperforming single-shell layouts. Hybrid designs provided the most significant gains, with combinations such as Çelikbilek-1 plus Global Positioning System and Galileo, or CentiSpace-like plus BeiDou, yielding better Position Dilution of Precision distributions, faster fix availability, and broader user coverage. Interference resistance also improved substantially, as stronger LEO signal power means jammers require far greater intensity to cause equal degradation compared to traditional systems.
The authors emphasize that LEO systems are not aimed at replacing GNSS but rather enhancing availability and resilience under signal-challenged environments. "Our results show that moderate-power LEO constellations can substantially strengthen outdoor positioning without requiring expensive satellite hardware," the researchers noted. "Geometry plays a major role—carefully designed multi-shell constellations achieve strong accuracy even with fewer satellites. As LEO-PNT develops, hybrid integration with GNSS offers the most cost-effective path toward secure, robust PNT solutions."
The implications extend across multiple industries that depend on reliable positioning. LEO-enhanced PNT could benefit autonomous vehicles navigating complex urban environments, UAV routing systems, emergency response operations, precision farming applications, and critical infrastructure monitoring—particularly where GNSS falters in interference-dense or high-rise environments. Lower-power LEO transmission also reduces deployment costs, potentially opening access for commercial operators who previously found satellite navigation infrastructure prohibitively expensive.
This research provides practical guidance for future system designers evaluating frequency, transmission power, and constellation configuration trade-offs. The findings suggest a realistic rollout pathway for resilient satellite navigation that could become increasingly important as global demand for secure PNT grows. Future work may assess indoor positioning potential, bandwidth expansion, and real-orbit testing to refine simulation assumptions, but the current study establishes a strong foundation for integrating LEO and GNSS as complementary technologies for next-generation navigation solutions.
