SANGENE project uses GNSS passive radar for obstacle detection

M3 Systems and TilT Consulting on June 1 were declared winners of the MyEUspace Competition 2021 for their passive radar for detection and localization of obstacles based solely on GNSS signals.

The SANGENE project (Sens And Navigation on GNSS ENvironment Estimation) aims to demonstrate the concept of an integrated GNSS-based passive radar for the detection and first localization of obstacles.

The SANGENE solution is a passive radar technology based solely on GNSS signals integrated into a localization and navigation device currently available onboard an aircraft or a drone. Today’s operational navigation equipment often use a combination of equipment to identify and locate other carriers or obstacles, but these means do not permit detection and visualization of non-equipped or uncooperative carriers, and can be a source of danger.

As “signals of opportunity,” GNSS signals can be used for detecting obstacles. With reflected signals, GNSS satellites behave as multiple radar signal sources that are widely available while remaining discrete.

This principle of passive detector also makes it possible to increase the localization capacity of the GNSS devices already present, without having any major architectural changes to their design.

Within a few months, this solution has passed from a first level of concept and definition to an implementation model. With the impetus provided by the competition, the validation phase will soon begin.

The MyEUspace Competition was organized by the European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUPSA) to support development of innovative commercial solutions — such as mobile apps or hardware-based solutions — that leverage Galileo or Copernicus EU space data.