Angle of arrival‐based target localisation with low Earth orbit satellite observer

Abstract

In triangulation (or angle of arrival) target localisation method, the surface of the Earth is approximated by a flat plate. This approximation, while acceptable for low-altitude observers (such as unmanned aerial vehicles), is not a correct model for high-altitude observers (such as low Earth orbit - LEO satellites). In this study, the authors have discussed triangulation method using a LEO satellite observer over a spherical surface and have shown that, using spherical trigonometry and singular value decomposition (SVD), a straight forward solution can be found for target localisation problem. Also, error bound is discussed and analysed using both SVD as well as simulation.