Researchers Discover a Way to Replace GPS with Starlink Signals

Tuesday, October 25, 2022 | Chimniii Desk

The research sponsored by the Army Research Office shows that Starlink could be used as a backup. The US Global Positioning System (GPS) is a crucial tool for navigation, but what happens if the satellites go down or face jamming attempts? The research comes from a team at the University of Texas at Austin. They used signals from thousands of Starlink satellites to show how they can be used for positioning purposes.

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According to the MIT Technology Review, the research could form the basis of a useful navigation system to rival the USGPS and other equivalent positioning systems from China, Russia, and India. The current Starlink satellite network. Professor Todd Humphrey from the University of Texas asked the company about using Starlink as a global navigation satellite system. The US Army has been funding Humphrey's research, and was looking for a backup to the USGPS system, which currently operates 31 active satellites at about 12,500 miles above the planet.

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Starlink already operates over 3000 satellites, which give it a stronger signal coverage. Humphrey was told by Musk that it would create a distraction for his company. Humphrey's team went ahead and analyzed the signal structure for Starlink downlink beams in the 10 despite the rejection. 7 to 12. The band is 7 GHz. His team wrote in a non-peer reviewed paper that they had identified four synchronization sequences that could be used to exploit Starlink signals for pseudorange-based positioning, navigation, and timing. Since the satellites beam signals to Earth, Starlink can be used as a navigation system. A receiver on the ground can determine the location of a Starlink satellite by analyzing the signals.

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Humphrey's team used the Starlink satellites to locate a receiver within about 30 meters. That is still not as accurate as a device that can be found within 5 meters. The accuracy of the Starlink-powered positions system could be improved to less than a meter. Musk weighed in on the research on Friday. He wrote that "Starlink can offer far more robust positioning thanGPS, as it will have 1000X more satellites over time." Not all will have a line of sight to users. Not today's problem. A team at the Ohio State University has been researching how to use Starlink as a gps alternative.

The team found a way to open in a new window with an accuracy of about 7. 7 meters. Zak Kassas, a professor on the team, said that they eavesdropped on the signal, and then designed sophisticated algorithms to locate them.

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