Analysis of multipath effects on Low Earth Orbit navigation satellites

Abstract With the large-scale emergence of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) internet constellations, the direct or indirect utilization of LEO communication constellations for navigation and positioning has become a hot topic of current research. However, the multipath effect remains a critical factor influencing positioning accuracy. Compared to traditional Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, LEO satellites move swiftly, resulting in faster multipath variations, which renders traditional multipath envelope analysis methods inapplicable. This study proposes a novel analytical model tailored to the multipath effect characteristics of LEO satellites. Through this model, we have observed that the multipath variations of high-frequency signals in LEO rapidly fluctuate near zero, offering the potential to reduce errors through smoothing methods. Furthermore, the study reveals that the impact of the multipath effect is positively correlated with orbital altitude and inversely correlated with carrier frequency. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the multipath effect characteristics of LEO satellites and offers necessary theoretical support and practical guidance for improving the accuracy of navigation and positioning systems based on LEO satellites. Future research can further explore multipath suppression methods and promote the widespread application of LEO satellites in the field of navigation and positioning.