Related papers: Autonomous orbit determination for satelite format…
Tetrahedral configurations of spacecraft on unperturbed heliocentric orbits allow for highly precise observations of small spatial changes in the gravitational field, especially those affecting the gravity gradient tensor (GGT). The…
Spacecraft relative motion planning is concerned with the design and execution of maneuvers relative to a nominal target. These types of maneuvers are frequently utilized in missions such as rendezvous and docking, satellite inspection and…
Optical cameras are gaining popularity as the suitable sensor for relative navigation in space due to their attractive sizing, power and cost properties when compared to conventional flight hardware or costly laser-based systems. However, a…
This work focuses on the generation of non-self-intersecting relative trajectories, and their applications to satellite constellation design, slotting architectures, and Space Traffic Management. To that end, this paper introduces two…
We present methodology and mission results from orbit determination of Planet Labs nanosatellites and differential-drag control of their relative motion. Orbit determination (OD) is required on Planet Labs satellites to accurately predict…
We propose two algorithms to provide a full preliminary orbit of an Earth-orbiting object with a number of observations lower than the classical methods, such as those by Laplace and Gauss. The first one is the Virtual debris algorithm,…
In the domain of Space Situational Awareness (SSA), the challenges pertaining to orbit determination and catalog correlation are notably pronounced, partly attributable to the escalating presence of non-cooperative satellites engaging in…
Virtual Super-resolution Optics with Reconfigurable Swarms (VISORS) is a distributed telescope mission for high-resolution imaging of the Sun using two 6U CubeSats flying in formation in a Sun-synchronous low-Earth orbit. An optics…
This paper presents an integrated model-learning predictive control scheme for spacecraft orbit-attitude station-keeping in the vicinity of asteroids. The orbiting probe relies on optical and laser navigation while attitude measurements are…
Orbit-determination programs find the orbit solution that best fits a set of observations by minimizing the RMS of the residuals of the fit. For near-Earth asteroids, the uncertainty of the orbit solution may be compatible with trajectories…
In this Note, a new approach to spacecraft positioning based on GGT inversion is presented. The gravity gradient tensor is initially measured in the gradiometer reference frame (GRF) and then transformed to the Earth-Centered Earth-Fixed…
Small body exploration is a pertinent challenge due to low gravity environments and strong sensitivity to perturbations like Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP). Thus, autonomous methods are being developed to enable safe navigation and control…
This paper investigates an autonomous navigation method for spacecraft operating in the outer solar system, up to 250 AU from the Sun, using the parallactic shifts of nearby stars. These measurements enable estimation of the spacecraft…
Emission relativistic coordinates are a class of spacetime coordinates defined and generated by four emitters (satellites, pulsars) broadcasting their proper time by radio signals. They are the main ingredient of the simplest conceivable…
The traditional way of estimating the gravitational field from observed motions of test objects is based on the virial relation between their kinetic and potential energy. We find a more efficient method. It is based on the natural…
Uncertainties in the satellite world lines lead to dominant positioning errors. In the present work, using the approach presented in \cite{neu14}, a new analysis of these errors is developed inside a great region surrounding Earth. This…
Relative localization between autonomous robots without infrastructure is crucial to achieve their navigation, path planning, and formation in many applications, such as emergency response, where acquiring a prior knowledge of the…
The increasing number of space missions may overwhelm ground support infrastructure, prompting the need for autonomous deep-space guidance, navigation, and control (GN\&C) systems. These systems offer sustainable and cost-effective…
Usually, positions of spacecraft on interplanetary or deep space missions are determined by radar tracking from ground stations, a method by which uncertainty increases with distance from Earth. As an alternative, a spacecraft equipped with…
In this paper, the optimization-based alignment (OBA) methods are investigated with main focus on the vector observations construction procedures for the strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS). The contributions of this study are…