Organization of space navigation system based on use of geostationary satellites

The modern navigation problem is inseparably related to the need for constant and operational support of the navigational personnel with meteorological, navigational and other types of information which could not possibly be provided without use of radio communications. The determination of a ship's position by such fundamental methods as observation of celestial bodies, the use of every possible radioelectronic and radar apparatus, is well known and has been developed in the form of an independent science called marine astronomy. However, with the appearance of present-day requirements, taking into account the high speeds of modern ships when there is a need at all times for reliable information on their position with an accuracy to a meter, all known marine astronomy methods are becoming greatly outmoded. Space navigation systems based on the Doppler method for determining the position of a ship by satellites moving in different circular orbits have good accuracy characteristics. However, a shortcoming of such systems is that the navigationl devices of a ship provide a correction of its position only in the period of presence of the transiting satellite in the zone of radiovisibility. For example, for the American Transit navigational system the mean time between observations at the equator is approximately 1.2 hours.