Introducing Relativity in Global Navigation Satellite Systems

TL;DR

This paper discusses incorporating full relativistic principles into Global Navigation Satellite Systems, proposing the SYPOR project as an alternative to current GPS and Galileo systems that require relativistic corrections.

Contribution

It introduces the SYPOR project, a fully relativistic approach to GNSS, eliminating the need for relativistic corrections in satellite navigation systems.

Findings

SYPOR offers a fully relativistic GNSS model.

Current systems like GPS require relativistic corrections.

SYPOR could improve accuracy and simplicity of GNSS.

Abstract

Today, the Global Navigation Satellite Systems, used as global positioning systems, are the GPS and the GLONASS. They are based on a Newtonian model and hence they are only operative when several relativistic effects are taken into account. The most important relativistic effects (to order 1/c^2) are: the Einstein gravitational blue shift effect of the satellite clock frequency (Equivalence Principle of General Relativity) and the Doppler red shift of second order, due to the motion of the satellite (Special Relativity). On the other hand, in a few years the Galileo system will be built, copying the GPS system unless an alternative project is designed. In this work, it will be also shown that the SYPOR project, using fully relativistic concepts, is an alternative to a mere copy of the GPS system. According to this project, the Galileo system would be exact and there would be no need for relativistic corrections.