GA-SQP Based Optimization for LEO Constellations Considering Both GDOP and Communication-Constrained 4-Satellite Visibility
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
2
Malek Ashtar University of Technology
3
university of Tehran
Abstract
Designing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) navigation constellations necessitates a critical trade-off analysis between service quality (e.g., GDOP), availability, and physical constraints. This paper challenges the paradigm of traditional symmetric configurations by introducing an optimization-based framework for an asymmetric 28-satellite constellation tailored for regional navigation over Tehran. We aim to quantify the inherent conflict between navigation performance, service uptime, and the operational limitations of communication hardware.The design is cast as a large-scale, 84-variable optimization problem, solved via a hybrid Genetic Algorithm-Sequential Quadratic Programming (GA-SQP) optimizer to determine the optimal orbital elements. Performance was benchmarked across three scenarios: a highly constrained case (GDOP < 5 and 1200 km antenna range) yielded only 560 seconds (0.65%) of daily service. Relaxing these constraints to only four-satellite visibility boosted availability to 6850 seconds (7.9%). An intermediate scenario, enforcing GDOP and visibility without the range limitation, achieved 3930 seconds (4.5%) of high-quality service.The results unequivocally identify antenna range as the dominant bottleneck for regional LEO navigation services. This quantitative analysis underscores a fundamental performance trade-off, offering crucial insights for architects of next-generation satellite systems to inform decisions on constellation geometry and hardware selection.
Keywords
Subjects
مراجع
[1] J. P. Chenebault, “INES: An innovative European navigation system relying on a low Earth orbit constellation,” in Proc. 1998 Nat. Tech. Meeting Inst. Navigation (ION NTM), Long Beach, CA, USA, Jan. 1998, pp. 225–238.
[2] S. G. Perrotta, “Transition phase for a new navigation system based on a constellation of LEO satellites,” 1990.
[3] T. Kacena, Mission Design & Implementation of Satellite Constellations. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer, 1998. doi: 10.1007/978-94-011-5088-0.
[4] M. Jiang, H. Qin, Y. Su, F. Li, and J. Mao, “A design of differential-low Earth orbit opportunistically enhanced GNSS (D-LoeGNSS) navigation framework,” Remote Sens., vol. 15, no. 8, Art. no. 2136, 2023, doi: 10.3390/rs15082136.
[5] C. Tan, Y. Xu, R. Luo, Y. Li, and C. Yuan, “Low Earth orbit constellation design using a multi-objective genetic algorithm for GNSS reflectometry missions,” Adv. Space Res., vol. 71, no. 5, pp. 2357–2369, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2022.10.035.
[6] W. Xue, “Analysis performance of navigation constellation satellite failure and enhancement of LEO navigation,” J. Phys.: Conf. Ser., vol. 2551, no. 1, Art. no. 012012, 2023, doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2551/1/012012.
[7] B. Xu, X. Su, Z. Liu, M. Su, J. Cui, Q. Li, Y. Xu, Z. Ma, and T. Geng, “Analysis on BDS-3 autonomous navigation performance based on the LEO constellation and regional stations,” Remote Sens., vol. 15, no. 12, Art. no. 3081, 2023, doi: 10.3390/rs15123081.
[8] E. Pike, “Multiple global navigation satellite systems Doppler positioning for low-Earth-orbit satellites,” 2023, doi: 10.2514/1.A35392.
[9] S. Ghazanfarinia, E. Mousivand, M. Khoshsima, and Y. Saffar, “Design of a low Earth orbit constellation for regional navigation mission,” J. Space Sci. Technol. Appl., vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 48–59, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://sid.ir/paper/1040108/en
[10] F. S. Prol, A. Smirnov, S. Kaasalainen, M. M. Hoque, M. Z. H. Bhuiyan, and F. Menzione, “The potential of LEO-PNT mega-constellations for ionospheric 3-D imaging: A simulation study,” IEEE J. Sel. Topics Appl. Earth Observ. Remote Sens., vol. 16, pp. 7559–7571, 2023, doi: 10.1109/JSTARS.2023.3299415.
[11] R. Morales-Ferre, E. S. Lohan, G. Falco, and E. Falletti, “GDOP-based analysis of suitability of LEO constellations for future satellite-based positioning,” in Proc. 2020 IEEE Int. Conf. Wireless Space Extreme Environments (WiSEE), Vicenza, Italy, 2020, pp. 147–152, doi: 10.1109/WiSEE44079.2020.9262624.
[12] T. Shtark and P. Gurfil, “Low Earth orbit satellite constellation for regional positioning with prolonged coverage durations,” Adv. Space Res., vol. 63, no. 8, pp. 2469–2494, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2019.01.010.
[13] R. M. Ferre and E. S. Lohan, “Comparison of MEO, LEO, and terrestrial IoT configurations in terms of GDOP and achievable positioning accuracies,” IEEE J. Radio Freq. Identif., vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 287–299, Sep. 2021, doi: 10.1109/JRFID.2021.3079475.
[14] T. Shtark, “Regional positioning using a low Earth orbit satellite constellation,” Celest. Mech. Dyn. Astron., vol. 130, Art. no. 14, 2018, doi: 10.1007/s10569-017-9811-7.
[15] B. McLemore and M. L. Psiaki, “GDOP of navigation using pseudorange and Doppler shift from a LEO constellation,” in Proc. 34th Int. Tech. Meeting Satellite Division Inst. Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2021), St. Louis, MO, USA, Sep. 2021, pp. 2783–2803, doi: 10.33012/2021.18008.
[16] J. Liu et al., “Design optimisation of low Earth orbit constellation based on BeiDou Satellite Navigation System precise point positioning,” IET Radar Sonar Navig., vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 1241–1252, 2022, doi: 10.1049/rsn2.12257.
[17] Y. Zhang, Z. Li, R. Li, Z. Wang, H. Yuan, and J. Song, “Orbital design of LEO navigation constellations and assessment of their augmentation to BDS,” Adv. Space Res., vol. 66, no. 8, pp. 1911–1923, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2020.07.021.
[18] M. Jafari, A. H. Adami, A. R. Fathi, and A. Ahmadi, “Sensitivity analysis of the orbital parameters of a LEO telecommunication satellite on the access time to the Tehran station,” in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. Mech., Ind. Aerosp. Eng., 2023. [Online]. Available: https://civilica.com/doc/2197910/
[19] A. Kosari, A. R. Fathi, and P. Mohammadzadeh, “Design of a LEO satellite constellation for the Tehran region using a hybrid GA-PSO optimization algorithm,” presented at 23rd Int. Conf. Iranian Aerospace Society, May 2025. [Online]. Available: https://civilica.com/doc/2403811/
[20] A. Kosari, A. R. Fathi, and P. Mohammadzadeh, “Genetic algorithm parameter optimization for indigenous telecommunication satellite constellation design,” presented at 23rd Int. Conf. Iranian Aerospace Society, May 2025. [Online]. Available: https://civilica.com/doc/2403811/
Volume 6, Issue 1
September 2026Pages 103-116
- Receive Date 26 July 2025
- Revise Date 03 November 2025
- Accept Date 17 February 2026