Long-Baseline Differential GPS based Relative Navigation for Spacecraft with Crosslink Ranging Measurements

Eric A. Olsen, Patrick A. Stadter and Mark S. Asher

Abstract:	This paper derives fundamental relative navigation solutions for distributed spacecraft systems exhibiting longbaseline (e.g., 100's-1000's kin) separation and deploying on-board Crosslink Transceiver (CLT) subsystems [1]. The Crosslink Transceiver provides an integrated relative navigation and communication system and the performance analysis is based upon the current system under development for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for several formation flying programs. The described research contributes to three challenges related to relative navigation performance of long-baseline solutions: the model derivation for a hybrid DGPS and crosslink ranging approach, the impact of the ionosphere on the crosslink ranging measurements for near Earth orbiting formations, and the consequences of the crosslink signal on the DGPS integer ambiguity problem. Simulations were developed to characterize the impact of the ionosphere and to investigate the integer ambiguity resolution problem. A model for the crosslink ionospheric range delay was developed and the results are discussed. Finally, additional issues related to the implementation of the transceiver subsystem are presented. In particular, it is shown that the transceiver subsystem must "selftrack" in order to obtain highly accurate (cm-level) measurements.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 13th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2000) September 19 - 22, 2000 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	1612 - 1621
Cite this article:	Olsen, Eric A., Stadter, Patrick A., Asher, Mark S., "Long-Baseline Differential GPS based Relative Navigation for Spacecraft with Crosslink Ranging Measurements," Proceedings of the 13th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2000), Salt Lake City, UT, September 2000, pp. 1612-1621.
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