Conceptual Satellite Orbit Design for Korean Navigation Satellite System

A regional navigation satellite system is a prospective candidate for use in the Korean navigation satellite system (KNSS), which will have South Korea and the remainder of East Asia as its service area. However, orbit design is a prerequisite for any navigation satellite system. This paper implements a conceptual design process prior to orbit design for an indigenous KNSS. Orbits are examined in terms of suitability, and an orbit combination based on the dilution-of-precision (DOP) performance is presented. Through simulation, an orbit combination capable of providing a stable DOP for the Korean Peninsula is proposed. Moreover, the orbit combination proposed incorporates design constraints such as satellite unavailability or potential position errors in the north-south direction, with the Korean Peninsula as a reference position. The simulation results suggest that the KNSS requires an orbit combination involving geostationary orbit (GEO) and elliptically inclined geosynchronous orbit (EIGSO), along with backup satellites in EIGSO; thus, the proposed system consists of 11 satellites in total.