Precise positioning has become increasingly critical for applications ranging from autonomous mobility to resilient infrastructure monitoring, but current Global Navigation Satellite Systems often suffer from weak signals, urban multipath, and interference vulnerabilities. A new study published in December 2025 in Satellite Navigation reveals that Low Earth Orbit satellite-based Positioning, Navigation and Timing systems show significant promise for enhancing accuracy where traditional systems struggle. Researchers from Tampere University and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona conducted extensive simulations evaluating LEO-PNT systems across representative outdoor environments. Their research, detailed in the publication available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s43020-025-00186-5, examined signal power, geometry quality, positioning accuracy and interference robustness under different carrier frequencies, satellite transmission powers and constellation designs.
The study involved 192,000 Monte-Carlo simulations across 400 users in European regions, analyzing five outdoor scenarios to determine optimal system configurations. The findings indicate that optimized LEO constellations, particularly in hybrid mode with existing GNSS systems, significantly improve accuracy and maintain strong performance in urban scenarios where traditional navigation systems degrade. In harsh urban canyon conditions, GNSS accuracy degraded up to seven-fold, whereas LEO-PNT maintained stable ranging performance with limited loss. The research showed that an Effective Isotropic Radiated Power of 50 dBm is sufficient for high-quality outdoor positioning when operating in L- and C-bands, though 10 GHz platforms require higher power to compensate for path loss.
Multi-shell constellation designs such as Çelikbilek-1 and Marchionne-2 delivered a favorable balance between satellite count and global geometry, outperforming single-shell layouts. These configurations proved particularly effective when combined with existing systems, with combinations such as Çelikbilek-1 plus Global Positioning System and Galileo, or CentiSpace-like plus BeiDou, yielding better Position Dilution of Precision distributions, faster fix availability and broader user coverage. The hybrid approach also demonstrated improved interference resistance, as stronger LEO signal power means jammers require far greater intensity to cause equal degradation compared to traditional systems.
The authors emphasize that LEO systems are not aimed at replacing existing GNSS infrastructure but rather enhancing availability and resilience under signal-challenged environments. Their results show that moderate-power LEO constellations can substantially strengthen outdoor positioning without requiring expensive satellite hardware, with careful constellation geometry playing a major role in achieving strong accuracy even with fewer satellites. As LEO-PNT technology develops, hybrid integration with GNSS offers the most cost-effective path toward secure, robust positioning solutions. These findings suggest a realistic rollout pathway for resilient satellite navigation that could benefit autonomous vehicles, UAV routing, emergency response, precision farming and critical infrastructure monitoring, particularly in interference-dense or high-rise environments where traditional systems falter. The lower-power transmission requirements for LEO systems also reduce deployment costs, potentially opening access for commercial operators. As global demand for secure positioning, navigation and timing grows, the integration of LEO and GNSS could become a cornerstone for next-generation navigation technology.
