A new concept for a navigation and communication satellite system has been proposed. The navigation satellite system that forms the basis of the proposed system has been studied by one of the authors and extended to add a mobile communication function to the system. The satellite system consists of 15 satellites in quasi-geostationary orbit (QGEO) that have a geostationary altitude and high inclination and provide global coverage and positioning capability to the observer through only reception of the range measurement signals generated at the satellites, which are in the same configuration as the satellites in Global Positioning System (GPS), Three satellites out of the 15 satellite are designated to install a subsystem for mobile satellite communication in order to satisfy mobile communication convenience as required in a Future Air Navigation System's (FANS) concept of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The case studies of 15-satellites constellations demonstrate not only an acceptable positioning accuracy over the whole globe, but also an accuracy distribution weighted on the north pole region as an example of a weighted accuracy distribution. The addition of a mobile communication function suggests a unified system of satellite navigation and communication, which might provide convenience for the civil aviation industry, because the two functions currently depend on different systems.

A new concept for a positioning satellite system based on a new satellite constellation has been studied. The system needs a minimum of four satellites injected into quasi-geostationary orbit (QGEO) with high inclination. Due to the QGEO characteristic, the satellites are orbiting within continuous visibility range of ground control stations (GCS), from which the satellite time is controlled through the link connections of the feeder and the intersatellite communication (ISC). Consideration is made for the required high accuracy and quality checks against malfunction, wherever the satellites may be positioned. The orbit data processing function, another major function, is performed independently of the time control. The case of global coverage attained by twelve satellites has been studied in this paper. When a constellation of satellites for a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is designed, conditions to obtain a good geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) at all places and times should be considered. Therefore, the satellites will be spread out in wide directions and are in an asymmetrical arrangement when seen by an observer are considered when setting the parameters of the ephemerides of the constellation. Under the restraints of the designed constellation, the GDOP value distribution for a third of the world map with area time parameters is computed and summarized in histograms for the system evaluation.