Performance Assessment of Multi-RIS-Aided Localization in Non-Terrestrial Networks
Egea-Roca, Daniel (Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya)
Xhafa, Alda (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Telecomunicació i Enginyeria de Sistemes)
López-Salcedo, José A. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Telecomunicació i Enginyeria de Sistemes)
Seco-Granados, Gonzalo (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Telecomunicació i Enginyeria de Sistemes)

Date:	2026
Abstract:	The increasing demand for global connectivity has accelerated the integration of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), particularly low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, into next-generation position navigation and time (PNT) systems. While LEO-based PNT offers low-latency and high-accuracy potential, challenges such as high path loss and limited ground-level signal diversity remain. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) have emerged as a cost-effective solution to enhance localization performance by providing controllable reflections with minimal infrastructure. Building on prior work in single-RIS NTN scenarios, this paper investigates RIS-aided localization in a single-LEO PNT setting with multiple RISs. We introduce a detailed signal model and multi-stage processing framework that estimates both the satellite and RIS-assisted paths, enabling accurate receiver localization. Simulations assess the trade-offs in coverage and accuracy, providing insights into the feasibility and optimization of RIS-assisted NTN PNT solutions as a complementary alternative to global navigation satellite system (GNSS).
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2023-152820OB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PDC2023-145858-I00
Note:	Altres ajuts: ICREA Academia
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	RIS ; LEO-PNT ; single-LEO
Published in:	Engineering proceedings, Vol. 126, Num. 1 (March 2026) , art. 41, ISSN 2673-4591

DOI: 10.3390/engproc2026126041

10 p, 888.4 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Engineering > Signal Processing for Communications and Navigation (SPCOMNAV)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles