Interferometry-based satellite location accuracy

A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing program instructions that cause a computer on a processing device to execute a process, the process comprising:

• determining a reference satellite that is within an angular proximity of a communication satellite from the perspective of at least one ground station antenna of a known accurate location, the communication satellite having a known general location at a given time, and the reference satellite having a known accurate location at substantially the given time;
• determining an accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite at substantially the given time from the perspective of the at least one ground station antenna;
• determining an additional location reference measurement of the communication satellite at substantially the given time;
• determining an accurate location of the communication satellite at substantially the given time based at least in part on the accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite from the perspective of the at least one ground station antenna and the additional location reference measurement of the communication satellite;
• and
• utilizing the accurate location of the communication satellite,
• wherein determining the accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite from the perspective of the at least one ground station antenna comprises:
• obtaining a first signal from the reference satellite received at both a first antenna of a first ground station of a known accurate location and at a second antenna of a second ground station of a known accurate location;
• obtaining a second signal from the communication satellite received at both a third antenna of the first ground station and at a fourth antenna of the second ground station;
• and
• processing receipts of the first signal and second signal at both the first ground station and the second ground station to determine the accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a processor configured to execute one or more processes;
• a communication interface configured to communicate via one or more satellite antennas associated with the apparatus;
• and
• a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process, when executed, configured to perform a process, comprising:
• determining a reference satellite that is within an angular proximity of a communication satellite from the perspective of at least one ground station antenna of a known accurate location, the communication satellite having a known general location at a given time, and the reference satellite having a known accurate location at substantially the given time;
• determining an accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite at substantially the given time from the perspective of the at least one ground station antenna;
• determining an additional location reference measurement of the communication satellite at substantially the given time;
• determining an accurate location of the communication satellite at substantially the given time based at least in part on the accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite from the perspective of the at least one ground station antenna and the additional location reference measurement of the communication satellite;
• and
• utilizing the accurate location of the communication satellite,
• wherein the apparatus determines the accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite from the perspective of the at least one ground station antenna by:
• obtaining a first signal from the reference satellite received at both a first antenna of a first ground station of a known accurate location and at a second antenna of a second ground station of a known accurate location;
• obtaining a second signal from the communication satellite received at both a third antenna of the first ground station and at a fourth antenna of the second ground station;
• and
• processing receipts of the first signal and second signal at both the first ground station and the second ground station to determine the accurate angular position of the communication satellite with relation to the reference satellite.