The proliferation of so-called “mega-constellations” in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) for global telecommunication coverage provides an opportunity for diversifying navigation signals from space without the need for additional dedicated satellites. The concept of Signals of Opportunity (SOOP) Positioning allows a user to determine their position based on signals not designed for navigation. The advantages of utilising satellite SOOP signals are the large number of satellites offering diversity in the number of satellites in the constellation, orbit height, frequency diversity, and bandwidth as well as the signal structure.  Newer broadband communications constellations operate at much higher frequencies than previously (typically in the Ku and Ka bands), again this offers advantages such as being able to estimate time of arrival of signals more accurately for instance.  Combining SOOP signals with other sensors such as Inertial Measurement Units and Barometers emphasises the System-of-Systems approach and offers further advantages in integrating these systems.

Some work has already been conducted in an academic context and to a lesser extent within an industrial context; however, much of this development has not been practically demonstrated in any meaningful way.  This project, led by Telespazio UK, will take advantage of this work and take it further to develop a practical Proof-of-Concept breadboard demonstrator which will utilise the advantages of Ku/Ka band SOOP and develop a small form factor user receiver and reference station, whilst developing a State-of-the-Art antenna array in a project we are calling SATSOOP.