Precise positioning and orbit estimation for geostationary data relays

This paper presents a novel concept and algorithms for the precise positioning of geostationary data relays using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. Simulations show positioning accuracies at centimetre level. A time synchronization between the LEO satellite and the ground station is decisive for achieving such high accuracies. The estimated positions enable orbit predictions for geostationary data relays with accuracies below one meter for more than six hours in advance.