Cost-Efficient LEO Navigation Augmentation Constellation Design under a Constrained Deployment Approach

The advantages of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite include low-latency communications, shorter positioning time, higher positioning accuracy, and lower launching, building, and maintenance costs. Thus, the introduction of LEO satellite constellation as a regional navigation augmentation system for the current navigation constellations is studied in this paper. To achieve the navigation performance requirement with the least system cost, a synthetic approach is presented to design and deploy a cost-efficient LEO navigation augmentation constellation over 108 key cities. To achieve lower construction costs, the constellation is designed to be deployed by constrained piggyback launches, which brings additional complexity to the constellation design. Two optimization models with discrete and continuous performance indices are established. They are solved by the genetic algorithm and differential evolution algorithm, and both Walker and Flower constellations are adopted. Results for 77 and 70 satellites are obtained. During the construction phase, a synthesis procedure containing five impulses is proposed by utilizing natural drift under perturbation. This work presents a method for designing the optimal LEO navigation constellation under a constraint deployment approach with the lowest construction cost and a strategy to deploy the constellation economically.