Precision Synchronization of Satellites in Inclined Orbits

Synchronization between an Earth station and a satellite in geostationary orbit can be accomplished by repeatedly transmitting sync burst signals and making small timing corrections. However, when a satellite is in an inclined nonsynchronous orbit, such as a navigation satellite, the problem is more complex due to the high relative velocity of the navigation satellite relative to the ground. One possible solution to the problem is examined by employing a satellite in geostationary orbit to communicate with the navigation satellite. It is shown that the uplink delay to the navigation satellite can be deduced to an accuracy of about 1 ns by making a single round trip transmission.