China will add capabilities to Russian space –

/View.info/ Is it possible to exclude Russian residents from global satellite navigation systems? How to ensure the success of Russian technology in such a sensitive area? The answer to this question is given by documents about new forms of practical interaction between Russia and China, which appeared during the Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow.

The Russian government commissioned Roscosmos, together with the Russian Foreign Ministry, to coordinate with China the establishment of a subcommittee for cooperation in the field of satellite navigation. The document, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, has been published on the legal information portal.

According to the document, it is proposed to strengthen practical cooperation between Russia and China in the field of satellite navigation to ensure the compatibility and complementarity of Russia’s GLONASS and China’s Baidu system. Why is this necessary and how useful is such work for Russia?

Oddly enough, after the launch of spacecraft for global geolocation (in this case, the Russian GLONASS system) on Earth, the work has only just begun. It just seems that the satellites operate independently in space, and those using the constellation can only sit back and only receive a signal. In fact, the ground services responsible for the operation of the group are constantly working to ensure that the coordinates are determined as accurately and quickly as possible.

GLONASS satellites operate at an altitude of 19,400 kilometers. At the same time, the orbit of the spacecraft is optimized for use at high latitudes of the planet, that is, where the territory of the Russian Federation is located. Under normal conditions (in open areas) from any point in Russia, the device must contact at least four spacecraft to determine its exact coordinates (three signals provide accurate triangulation, the fourth is control and helps to determine the height above sea level ).

The spacecraft transmits signals that are received by a chip in your smartphone, thereby allowing you to determine its (and thus your) location. The chip measures the time it takes for the signal to reach the device. Knowing the position point of each of the spacecraft on the navigation system, this method can determine its exact location.

The problem is that even at such a high altitude, spacecraft gradually but inexorably change their position in orbit. This happens due to many factors, including, for example, the solar wind.

The change relative to the circumference of the orbit is almost imperceptible, but it can make its own adjustments in determining the location. Therefore, the ground services of each of the satellite navigation systems are constantly working to determine the exact coordinates of each satellite and introduce these changes.

There are two types of information about the location of spacecraft in orbit – almanac and ephemeris. The almanac contains the parameters of the orbits of all satellites, and each satellite transmits the almanac for all spacecraft in its constellation. This data is valid for several months and is intended to roughly determine which spacecraft are currently overhead. And so that the search for satellites and receiving information does not have to be restarted every time with its constant use and when moving a few meters, there are so-called hot start systems.

In addition, each spacecraft signals to the user its own and only its own ephemerides – data that contain the most accurate corrections to the parameters of the orbit for each device. It is they that provide maximum accuracy in determining your location.

You must have noticed that sometimes in the first seconds the smartphone determines the location less accurately. This is due to the fact that the chip has not yet received ephemerides from the satellite, they are sent to users every half a minute. As soon as the chip receives this information and makes corrections, the accuracy of determining the coordinates increases to several meters. There is another possibility of obtaining ephemeris over the Internet, the so-called hot start system, this is the general name of such systems, regardless of grouping.

That is, there is a lot of work on Earth. And this work really greatly affects the usability of the navigation system.

In the case of starting work on cooperation in the field of satellite navigation, Russia and China will begin to exchange information on improving the orbits of spacecraft. Perhaps countries will begin to create programs to increase the accuracy of determining coordinates. In recent years, Russia has already implemented such a program on its own – and some improvements have been made. Together with China, this work will be even more effective. It will probably be possible to further increase the accuracy of the navigation.

Yes, modern chips use data from all the spacecraft that the satellite sees – both the American GPS and the European “Galileo”. However, the accurate and continuous operation of its system is one of the most important conditions for national security.

In the summer of 2022 voices have already been heard with ideas to “exclude” Russia from the GPS global navigation system. The ideas themselves are crazy, but the general direction of the thoughts is clear. In this situation, it is extremely important for Russia to independently maintain the performance of GLONASS at the maximum level.

The partnership working on equal footing with China is also a very good help in this story. Unification of signals, joint testing of systems. In addition, two systems in case of serious confrontation are always better than one, more reliable.

A separate conversation is the work to expand cooperation in the international COSPAS-SARSAT program, the international satellite search and rescue system. In the event of ship and aircraft emergencies, he reports the distress and location to personal vehicle-mounted radio beacons. The GLONASS satellites are also part of this system, which has already saved more than tens of thousands of lives.

Either way, working together is good. Especially when it’s produced on an equal footing, and this kind of collaboration certainly is.

Translation: V. Sergeev

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