Satellite Navigation Backup Study
Abstract
The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) manages a unique public/private partnership in developing a sweeping vision that will guide the evolution of the National Air Space (NAS) to meet the needs of the 21st century. This initiative, called the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), will bring transformation to the U.S. air transportation system by 2025. A key capability for transforming the NAS is satellite-based navigation (SatNav). Modernization plans and augmentation strategies for the Global Positioning System (GPS) will make it a more valuable asset to aviation. The addition of Galileo and possibly GLONASS and COMPASS will further enhance the performance capabilities of satellite based navigation systems. The vulnerabilities of GPS as a navigation signal are well known and the threat of disruption to this service is a concern. These vulnerabilities, defined in technical reports such as the 2001 Volpe GPS Vulnerability Assessment report; US policies to support critical transportation applications in the event of a GPS disruption; and the importance of SatNav in the JPDO vision are the motivations for this study to identify and assess backup satellite navigation solutions. Specifically, the objective of the SatNav Backup Study is to identify an appropriate set of "area navigation" satellite backup solutions for operation in the NextGen in 2015, 2020, and 2025. The study includes a requirements analysis for a backup system, development of evaluation criteria, and a comparative cost assessment for each proposed backup solution, supporting the overall evaluation of candidate solutions. A secondary focus of the study was consideration of possible candidates for SatNav backup to support the precision approach and surface navigation phases of flight operations. This aspect of the study is presented in the appendices.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 19, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA496139