Geolocation of radio frequency devices using spaceborne phased arrays

A satellite communication system, comprising:

• one or more low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites having a phased antenna array configured to provide a plurality of beams for communication within a field of view, the field of view having a plurality of cells and each of the plurality of beams is associated with one of the plurality of cells within the field of view;
• and
• one or more delay compensators configured to perform delay compensation on signals relative to a beam center for each respective beam of the plurality of beams;
• wherein the phased antenna array is configured to receive a signal from a wireless device via one of the plurality of beams and is configured to detect that the signal is within a specific one of the plurality of cells within the field of view based upon the delay compensation;
• and
• wherein the one or more LEO satellites include:
• a central processor configured to take data from individual beams of the plurality of beams and package the data into a combined signal;
• and
• a communication antenna separate from the phased antenna array, the communication antenna configured to transmit the combined signal to a ground station separate from the wireless device.