StarLoc: Pinpointing Transmitting LEO Satellites from a Single Passive Array

2026-04-22

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenge of three-dimensional (3D) localization for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites by proposing a novel approach that integrates orbital dynamics modeling with interferometric 3D direction-of-arrival (3D-DOA) estimation. By leveraging the prior constraint that LEO satellite motion is confined to a two-dimensional manifold, the method effectively reduces the dimensionality of the 3D localization problem, enabling high-accuracy passive localization and tracking using only a single coplanar array of three antennas. Experimental validation on 81 Starlink satellites demonstrates a 3D-DOA estimation error below 0.7° and an orbital distance error within 5 kilometers, offering an efficient solution for applications such as spectrum management, orbit determination, and GPS-denied backup positioning.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Localization, Mapping, and Navigation
• Search and Optimization: Local Search
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Location- and context-aware Web and WoT applications and services
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: On-Device user modeling, personalization, and recommendation

Abstract

This paper focuses on 3D localization of transmitting satellites in low Earth orbits (LEO). 3D localization of transmitters in low orbits is an important emerging problem for many applications such as spectrum management, orbit determination, and backup for GPS failures in orbit. We present StarLoc -- a system to geolocate transmitters in space using a combination of orbital modeling and a new interferometric 3D angle-of-arrival estimation technique. StarLoc's design relies on a unique insight -- the motion of satellites is governed by orbital dynamics and is therefore along a 2D manifold in a 3D space. This reduces the degrees of freedom in satellite motion and allows us to 3D-locate and track a satellite with just three antennas in a 2D plane. We evaluate the system using signal transmissions from 81 Starlink satellites. Our results show that StarLoc can estimate the 3D-angle of a satellite within 0.7 degrees and the orbital range within 5 km. Our dataset and implementation are available at: https://connectedsystemslab.github.io/starloc.

Problem

• 3D localization
• LEO satellites
• angle-of-arrival
• orbital tracking
• passive array

Innovation

• 3D localization
• LEO satellites
• interferometric angle-of-arrival
• orbital dynamics
• passive array