A numerical approach to the problem of angles-only initial relative orbit determination in low earth orbit
| Autor: | Jean-Sébastien Ardaens, Gabriella Gaias |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Atmospheric Science Spacecraft Initial orbit determination business.industry Numerical analysis Mathematical analysis Linear system Rendezvous Aerospace Engineering Astronomy and Astrophysics Angles-only navigation Bearing (navigation) Formation-flying Flight demonstration Geophysics Space and Planetary Science Orbit (dynamics) General Earth and Planetary Sciences A priori and a posteriori Focus (optics) business Noncooperative rendezvous |
| Popis: | A practical and effective numerical method is presented, aiming at solving the problem of initial relative orbit determination using solely line-of-sight measurements. The proposed approach exploits the small discrepancies which can be observed between a linear and a more advanced relative motion model. The method consists in systematically performing a series of least-squares adjustments at varying intersatellite distances in the vicinity of a family of collinear solutions coming from the linear theory. The solution presenting the smallest fitting residuals is then selected. The investigations specifically focus on the rendezvous in low Earth near-circular orbit with a noncooperative target. The objective is to determine the relative state of the formation using only bearing observations when the spacecraft are separated by a few dozen kilometers without any a priori additional information. The method is validated with flight data coming from the ARGON (2012) and AVANTI (2016) experiments. Both cases demonstrate that an observation time span of a few maneuver-free orbits is enough to compute a solution which can compete with Two-Line Elements in terms of accuracy. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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