PNT as a Service (PNTaaS): Providing a Resilient Back-Up to GPS by Leveraging Broadband Satellite Constellations and Ground Infrastructure

To address the loss of GPS position and timing information, alternative solutions that do not rely on GPS satellite constellation are needed. The PNTaaS solution developed by NAVSYS allows existing broadband SATCOM satellites to be used as signals of opportunity (SoOP) to bound inertial and clock errors and allow Assured PNT devices to maintain accurate positioning and timing in long-term GPS outages. By partnering with operators of global commercial SATCOM service providers, the PNTaaS technology provides a cost-effective capability to provide a global back-up PNT solution. In this paper, the open architecture PNTaaS solution is described, which provides data services to deliver timing and signal information from multiple broadband satellite constellations. Test results are presented from a Software Defined Radio using these services to provide Time of Arrival (TOA) updates to an inertial and clock A-PNT device. The benefits of using SoOP operating in both geostationary (GEO) and non-geostationary satellite orbits (NGSO) is shown through a combination of simulation and test results to demonstrate the ability to provide a precision back-up PNT capability which can operate in the absence of GPS