Space vehicle detection and positioning based on reflected signal of navigation satellite

Navigation satellite signals will be reflected by a space vehicle when they are visible within its signal coverage. The reflected signal is generally restrained as a multipath signal for the positioning of the space vehicle itself. The bistatical radar concept is used in this article to propose a remote positioning method through reflected signal processing. A receiver stationed on land or in air could be used to receive the signal reflection and scatter and therefore detect the position of the space vehicle. Code delay locked loops are used for signal processing, i. e. the correlation power is given to calculate the path delay between the reflected signal and the direct one. The position of the space vehicle is then computed based on the proposed mathematical model. The system architecture is given and described in detail including its crucial technology. The principle of delay mapping receiver (DMR) and the test of validation are discussed for the reflected signal receiving and processing. The test result shows that the proposed DMR can process the reflected satellite signal validly. It provides a new way for space vehicle detection and positioning.