As GPS jamming and other forms of GNSS disruption become more widespread, researchers are advancing alternative navigation technologies that could provide positioning when satellite navigation is unreliable or unavailable.
A recent report from The Economist examines two approaches gaining traction. One uses highly sensitive magnetometers to navigate against maps of variations in Earth’s magnetic field. Technologies under development include quantum sensors based on rubidium atoms and diamond-based magnetometers capable of measuring the strength and direction of magnetic fields.
Another approach uses existing radio transmissions as “signals of opportunity.” Researchers are evaluating signals from low-Earth-orbit communications satellites such as Starlink and OneWeb, as well as terrestrial cellular networks, to calculate position without relying on conventional GNSS. In one test highlighted by The Economist, a system developed by ASPIN Laboratory used transmissions from 21 LEO satellites to locate a ship near Greenland within 27 meters of its actual position.
Neither approach currently matches GNSS across every application, but continued development could give aircraft, unmanned systems and other navigation-dependent platforms additional options for maintaining position in disrupted or contested electromagnetic environments.
Read the full story at The Economist.
