Kalman Filter Based Positioning Integrity for Lunar Applications

Heiko Engwerda, Yoann Audet, Richard Swinden, Maarten Uijt de Haag, Cosimo Stallo, Floor Melman, and Javier Ventura-Traveset

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	This paper presents a comprehensive overview of a simulation methodology for a user utilizing the Lunar Communication and Navigation Service (LCNS). The derivation of signal-in-space user ranging and velocity errors is discussed, and a navigation filter design is proposed, tailored to three distinct user scenarios: a lunar lander, rover, and static user at the South Pole. The filter leverages altimeters, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and digital elevation models (DEMs) within an Extended Kalman Filter framework. Focusing on the reliability and availability of the positioning engine, an integrity monitor design is proposed using a batch residual monitor. The performance is evaluated under both nominal and off-nominal conditions, including feared events injected in form of pseudorange ramp errors. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in ensuring reliable navigation and integrity monitoring for LCNS users. Index Terms—Navigation; Moonlight; LCNS; EKF; Integrity; AIME
Published in:	2025 IEEE/ION Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS) April 28 - 1, 2025 Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	1026 - 1035
Cite this article:	Engwerda, Heiko, Audet, Yoann, Swinden, Richard, de Haag, Maarten Uijt, Stallo, Cosimo, Melman, Floor, Ventura-Traveset, Javier, "Kalman Filter Based Positioning Integrity for Lunar Applications," 2025 IEEE/ION Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS), Salt Lake City, UT, April 2025, pp. 1026-1035.
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