To address the limited service performance of the BeiDou-3 Global Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) in the Arctic shipping route, while maintaining the overall architecture of the existing constellation essentially unchanged, it is considered to equip the inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellites with regional short-message communication (RSMC) and satellite-based precise point positioning (PPP) payloads. The optimization of the IGSO satellite orbits is carried out to compensate for the performance shortcomings of geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites in high-latitude regions. To tackle the conflict among optimal values of different performance metrics during parameter selection, an orbit-optimization model based on multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) is developed. Max-min normalization and an equal-weight simple additive weighting (SAW) method are adopted to unify the dimensions of multi-dimensional indicators and rank candidate schemes, thereby determining key parameters such as inclination and eccentricity. Results show that when the IGSO inclination is 75°, the eccentricity is 0.1, the argument of periapsis is 260°, and the recurrent longitude is 113° E, the maximum position dilution of precision (PDOP) decreases markedly from 3.9×10⁴ to 110.44 at a 20° elevation cutoff angle, while the availability of the combined GEO+IGSO configuration increases to 99.92%, significantly enhancing the comprehensive service capability of BDS-3 in the Arctic shipping route.
北极航道被誉为“21世纪的黄金水道”,主要包括东北航道、西北航道和中央航道。随着极地科考、资源开发及“冰上丝绸之路”建设的深入推进,北极地区已成为全球地缘政治与经济竞争的重要战略区域。2025年9月,全球首条中欧北极集装箱快航航线的成功运营,标志着北极航道进入了实质性商业化阶段。然而,北极航道环境极端复杂,常年受浮冰、严寒等恶劣天气影响,且高纬度地区缺乏完善的基础设施。在智能航运、极地救援、资源勘探等领域,高可靠的定位、导航与授时(Positioning Navigation and Timing, PNT)以及通信服务是确保航行安全的核心前提[1-2]。
北斗三号全球卫星导航系统(BeiDou-3 Global Navigation Satellite System, BDS-3)于2020年全面建成并具备全球服务能力,系统的信号质量等已达到国际先进水平,但在极区仍存在明显的服务能力不足问题[3-6]。首先,BDS-3的中地球轨道(Middle Earth Orbit, MEO)卫星轨道倾角为55°,这导致极区用户观测到的可见卫星大多处于低仰角状态[4]。在冰山区或近岸狭窄航道环境中,低仰角卫星信号易被遮挡,导致位置精度因子(Position Dilution of Precision,PDOP)恶化。此外,虽然BDS-3中14颗MEO卫星搭载了全球短报文通信载荷[7],但单次通信容量仅约40个汉字,难以满足海上安全信息的传输需求[8]。其次,北斗系统的特色服务——星基精密单点定位(Precise Point Positioning, PPP)和区域短报文通信(Regional Short Message Communication, RSMC)依赖于地球静止轨道(Geostationary Orbit, GEO)卫星播发。在高纬度地区,GEO卫星相对于用户的仰角较低且始终位于南侧,易受到环境遮挡影响,形成“南墙效应”[5,9-10]。
精度衰减因子(Dilution of Precision, DOP)指标包括GDOP、PDOP、HDOP与VDOP等类型。其中:GDOP包含时间参数项,反映位置与时间联合解算的几何强度;HDOP与VDOP分别刻画水平与垂直方向几何质量,属于PDOP的分量指标。本文面向北极航道三维定位能力问题,关注卫星空间几何构型对三维位置解算的影响,因此选取PDOP作为核心几何评价指标。
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