A return to the stars in an age of navigation uncertainty - A treatise on the use of celestial bodies for resilient positioning navigation and timing

Abstract

Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) technology in the 2020s are challenged. Nation states are seeking systems to be resilient and robust, sovereign and available. Numerous reasons and motivations can be associated with this desire, including increasingly hostile radio-frequency environments, cybersecurity threats, and a contraction of global supply chains. These factors do not just affect navigation but also timing. Each of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have experienced their separate technology maturity challenges as well as clock failures. Recent efforts to return to the Moon also face similar PNT hurdles.

The sextant was first developed in the 1700s, where using an optical telescope and some measuring tools, the user could measure the star or Sun from the Earth horizon, and consequently derive a position. The horizontal coordinates could be known within a few kilometres, allowing humans to travel and explore the globe. Celestial body-based timing by tracking movement of the sun across the sky is known to a precision of a minute. However, these century old techniques cannot meet the requirements of modern critical applications.

This research treats the problems of PNT in the 21st century, and seeks solutions based on a return to foundations. Modern techniques are adopted, based on recent developments in spacecraft guidance, navigation and timing systems, but presented to the resilience problem in terms of delivering PNT. Celestial bodies including the Earth and Moon, the stars and our sun, pulsars and planetary landmarks such as craters, are treated in this work. Performances are visualised through application, and methodologies developed to propose new solutions. The work also includes a review of what resilience means for nations, as well as industrial strategy and user groups. These performances are presented in the political and industry context.