Learning-Driven Dual-Line Laser Scanning for Fast and Accurate LEO Satellite Positioning

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Authors: Mohammad Taghi Dabiri, Rula Ammuri, Mazen O. Hasna, Khalid A. Qaraqe
Cited by: 0
References: 13

Abstract

Accurate and low-latency positioning is a key enabler for optical links with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, where millisecond-level beam alignment is required to maintain reliable high-data-rate communication. This paper presents a learning-driven dual-line laser scanning framework for fast and precise satellite positioning. Unlike conventional Gaussian-beam acquisition systems that rely on multiple sequential beams or mechanical steering, the proposed approach employs two orthogonal line-shaped laser beams to perform structured optical scanning over the ambiguity region without any moving parts. A physics-based model incorporating atmospheric attenuation, turbulence, and MRR-based reflection is developed, and a data-driven neural estimator is trained to map received optical energy patterns to the satellite's two-dimensional position. Simulation results demonstrate that the learning-driven method achieves near-MAP accuracy with typical errors of 7-10 m and deterministic scanning time of 1-2 ms, while conventional two-stage Gaussian-beam schemes exhibit comparable errors but random sensing durations of up to 5 ms. The proposed framework therefore offers a favorable trade-off between positioning accuracy, computational complexity, and sensing latency, making it a practical candidate for next-generation optical LEO tracking systems.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Optical Wireless Communication Technologies Space Satellite Systems and Control Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing

Publication details

Journal / source
ICC 2026 - IEEE International Conference on Communications
Publisher
IEEE
Pages
1–6
Publication date
24 May 2026