A Proof of Concept Study for a Fast Acquisition in a LEO Satellite GPS Receiver

The aim of this work is to perform a proof of concept study in order to assess if the pre-correlation differential detector can be used to tackle the GPS signal acquisition in a high dynamics scenario problem. The high dynamics scenario to be studied is the case in which a GPS receiver is used in a LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite mission. The receiver’s appropriateness for the case study is demonstrated via computational cost study and detector statistical characterization. GPS L1 C/A legacy signals for the context are simulated using a Spirent GSS7700 signal generator. The signals are sampled using a USRPX310 as an RF front-end. Using these samples, the receivers are implemented in Matlab using an SDR (Software Defined Radio) experimental setup. A specially designed figure of merit is used to measure the performance of the pre-correlation differential receiver in the realistic LEO satellite case study