Space-based Navigation

Space-based navigation uses signals from satellites orbiting Earth to determine precise location and time. The most common system, GPS, involves a network of satellites that continuously broadcast their position and timing information. Receivers on the ground, like in smartphones or vehicles, pick up these signals and calculate their distance from multiple satellites. By analyzing these distances, the system determines your exact position—latitude, longitude, and altitude—and updates it in real time. This method provides highly accurate navigation worldwide, essential for everything from everyday navigation to military operations and scientific exploration.