Supervisors info:
Βάιος Λάππας, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Αεροδιαστημικής Επιστήμης και Τεχνολογίας, EKPA
Summary:
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide critical positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services worldwide, enabling a wide range of applications from everyday use to advanced scientific and military operations. The importance of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) PNT systems lies in their ability to enhance GNSS by offering increased signal strength, reduced latency, and improved accuracy and coverage, particularly in challenging environments such as urban canyons or polar regions, thereby addressing limitations of traditional Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) GNSS systems. This thesis presents a comprehensive literature survey on current LEO- based PNT systems, exploring the technological advancements and methodologies employed by leading organizations and institutions related with LEO PNT applications.
Building upon this foundation, the thesis details the design of a novel CubeSat-based multi-regional PNT system tailored for deployment in LEO. The proposed system leverages on a miniaturized CubeSat-compatible PNT payload that includes a chip- scale atomic clock and relies to MEO GNSS technologies, to deliver positioning and timing information across multiple regions. Based on the findings of the literature survey, a Mission Statement is formulated, which in turn informs the development of the Mission and System Requirements that govern the design of the proposed system.
Through simulations and analysis, the thesis evaluates the system's effectiveness in meeting specified mission requirements and success criteria. The findings indicate that the proposed CubeSat-based PNT system offers a viable solution for enhancing global navigation and timing services, with potential commercial, scientific, and dual- use applications. This work contributes to the growing body of knowledge on LEO- based PNT systems and lays the groundwork for future research and development in this rapidly evolving field.
Keywords:
LEO, PNT, CubeSat, Atomic clocks, Constellation, STK, MATLAB, SPENVIS, DRAMA
