Lightweight Pilot Estimation on LEO Satellite Signals for Enhanced SOP Navigation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zanirato, Francesco, Curzio, Alessio, Ardizzon, Francesco, Sbalchiero, Elisa, Canzian, Luca, Tomasin, Stefano, Laurenti, Nicola, Samson, Jaron
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Zanirato, Francesco
Curzio, Alessio
Ardizzon, Francesco
Sbalchiero, Elisa
Canzian, Luca
Tomasin, Stefano
Laurenti, Nicola
Samson, Jaron
author_facet Zanirato, Francesco
Curzio, Alessio
Ardizzon, Francesco
Sbalchiero, Elisa
Canzian, Luca
Tomasin, Stefano
Laurenti, Nicola
Samson, Jaron
contents The computation of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) via signal of opportunity (SOP), where signals originally transmitted for communication, such as 5G, Wi-Fi, or DVB-S, are exploited due to their ubiquity and spectral characteristics, is an emerging research field. However, relying on these signals presents challenges, including limited knowledge of the signal modulation and the need to identify recurring sequences for correlation. We offer a guide to implement a receiver capable of capturing broadband downlink Ku-band signals from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites (e.g., Starlink and OneWeb) and estimating the recurring symbols for SOP measurements. The methodology integrates recent approaches in the literature, highlighting the most effective aspects while guiding the replication of experiments even under limitations on the front-end gain and bandwidth. Using the proposed model, we can identify recurring symbols transmitted by Starlink satellites, which are then used to collect Doppler shift measurements over a 600 s interval. A position, velocity, and time (PVT) solution is also computed via least squares (LS), which achieves a positioning error of approximately 268 m after a post-fit refinement.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_06682
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Lightweight Pilot Estimation on LEO Satellite Signals for Enhanced SOP Navigation
Zanirato, Francesco
Curzio, Alessio
Ardizzon, Francesco
Sbalchiero, Elisa
Canzian, Luca
Tomasin, Stefano
Laurenti, Nicola
Samson, Jaron
Signal Processing
The computation of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) via signal of opportunity (SOP), where signals originally transmitted for communication, such as 5G, Wi-Fi, or DVB-S, are exploited due to their ubiquity and spectral characteristics, is an emerging research field. However, relying on these signals presents challenges, including limited knowledge of the signal modulation and the need to identify recurring sequences for correlation. We offer a guide to implement a receiver capable of capturing broadband downlink Ku-band signals from low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites (e.g., Starlink and OneWeb) and estimating the recurring symbols for SOP measurements. The methodology integrates recent approaches in the literature, highlighting the most effective aspects while guiding the replication of experiments even under limitations on the front-end gain and bandwidth. Using the proposed model, we can identify recurring symbols transmitted by Starlink satellites, which are then used to collect Doppler shift measurements over a 600 s interval. A position, velocity, and time (PVT) solution is also computed via least squares (LS), which achieves a positioning error of approximately 268 m after a post-fit refinement.
title Lightweight Pilot Estimation on LEO Satellite Signals for Enhanced SOP Navigation
topic Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.06682