Hybrid system of communication and radio determination using two geostationary satellites

The Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in Japan has developed a novel hybrid satellite system which can provide both communications and positioning services in one system using two geostationary satellites. The distinctive feature of this system is that location information can be provided by transmitting and receiving ranging signals over the same channel as communications through two geostationary satellites. Radio determination and communication experiments using the ETS-V and INMARSAT satellites were scheduled to start at the end of 1989. The equipment configuration is examined. and the positioning accuracy is assessed.<>