As of May 20, Starlink users will no longer be able to access location data on their devices. The gRPC API software interface on the Starlink terminals has been allowing users to get their location, in many instances despite GPS jamming and spoofing in their area.
One user told PCMag.com he had used it to successfully navigate the Red Sea despite widespread interference with GNSS.
“It relies on round-trip time measurements from the serving Starlink satellite (which knows its position and velocity based on GPS) to the terminals and then back to the satellite,” said Professor Todd Humphreys at the University of Texas Radionavigation Laboratory. “Some clever engineering from the clever engineers at SpaceX.”
“Starlink PNT, as it’s called, has been a cheat code for those who knew about over the past few years. And it has been getting increasingly accurate, from 100 meters a few years ago to about 20 meters now,” Humphreys said.
At a time when GPS and other GNSS are being increasingly disrupted, many are confused by the action, not to mention being upset at losing an alternative navigation source.
Humphreys speculates the company could have a number of possible reasons.
“SpaceX might not want the liability of providing a location service whose accuracy is decent but variable. Or it could be they want to prevent bad actors from using Starlink PNT for nefarious purposes.
They also might be preparing to launch a fee-based version of Starlink PNT and so are ending free access.”
Using Starlink signals for PNT and as a complement to GNSS has been under study by Humphreys and his team for years. In 2020 he proposed the idea to Starlink, but it was rejected. Reportedly CEO Elon Musk was concerned that it would be too much of a distraction for the company which needed to focus on its communications business.
That may well be about to change.
