Satellite Navigation Systems

This chapter describes the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) used for positioning and navigation applications. Although a satellite navigation system is very complex, it is common to speak of a “satellite navigation system sensor” when referring to the tools that an end user needs in order to exploit the functionalities of a satellite navigation system. The chapter gives a general survey of GNSS and it discusses the positioning problem within the framework of a positioning satellite system. Then, it presents general GNSS descriptions and prospects, outlines the main features of the American GPS-GNSS gold standard, the Russian GLONASS, and the European Galileo and the Chinese BeiDou, both successfully developing, along with the Japanese QZSS and the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). The chapter explains modernization and augmentation of satellite systems. Finally, it outlines the aerospace applications of GNSS sensors, including air traffic control (ATC) and air and space navigation.