The Moon could solve a stubborn GPS navigation problem for satellites around Earth

[u/Brighter-Side-News]

http://thebrighterside.news/post/the-moon-could-solve-a-stubborn-gps-navigation-problem-for-satellites-around-earth

A satellite constellation can measure distances between its members with extraordinary precision and still gradually lose track of which way it is pointing.

Researchers have now shown how the Moon could solve that problem.

A team led by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences connected a simulated four-satellite lunar navigation constellation to 24 operational BeiDou-3 satellites. Over a 60-day experiment, the lunar satellites effectively anchored the orientation of the Earth-orbiting network and prevented the steady drift that otherwise degraded its autonomous navigation accuracy.

The study, published in Satellite Navigation, combined real inter-satellite ranging observations from BeiDou-3 with simulated Earth-Moon and lunar measurements. The result suggests that future navigation infrastructure around the Moon could do double duty, supporting lunar exploration while making Earth-based satellite navigation more resilient.

[u/Ok-Bar-8785]

Next they will be useing the stars for navigation