LEO Space-Based System for Aircraft Surveillance: A Study on Coverage and Dilution of Precision

This paper presents the design of a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-based system for aircraft traffic surveillance. Aircraft positioning with LEO satellites aims to offer an independent solution for Air Traffic Management (ATM) that does not rely on Global Positioning System (GPS). Given the orbital configurations as input parameters, this works aims to first determine the minimum number of LEO satellites needed for a global coverage of the system. Then, an analysis of the Geometric Dilution of Precision (GDOP) is conducted, showing the benefits of LEO constellations in terms of horizontal dilution of precision against the one achieved by the GPS. The density and spatial distribution of LEO satellites offer an advantage to such systems, enabling a low GDOP and potentially enhancing the vertical dilution of precision via ground network integration, thereby improving altitude accuracy while reducing the need for numerous ground stations and overall costs. This study highlights the importance of geometric diversity and further emphasizes the raising importance of LEO systems in the future of ATM.