Analysis of GNSS-Based Navigation Performance Throughout a Ballistic Lunar Transfer

Brian C. Peters, Ryan McKnight, Sabrina Ugazio

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	GNSS-based navigation in lunar orbit has been studied extensively in recent years, and several works have shown highly encouraging results suggesting that GNSS could serve as a primary means of autonomous navigation for spacecraft in cislunar space. Other recent results have shown that GNSS visibility could extend well beyond lunar distance. This paper conducts an analysis of GNSS-based navigation performance throughout a ballistic lunar transfer (BLT) using an extended Kalman filter (EKF) with pseudorange and time-differenced carrier phase (TDCP) measurements. BLTs are low-energy lunar transfers in which a spacecraft reaches a maximum distance of approximately 4 times the lunar distance before reaching lunar orbit over the course of 2-4 months. This analysis considers L1-band signals from GPS, Galileo, and QZSS. A receiver acquisition/tracking threshold of 15 dB-Hz is considered. The trajectory model used in this work is based on the BLT flown by NASA’s CAPSTONE mission. The analysis focuses on three 1-week segments of the trajectory: an outbound segment prior to one of the largest maneuvers executed by CAPSTONE, a segment surrounding the apogee of the transfer at approximately 1.5 × 106 km from the Earth, and an inbound segment just prior to the orbit insertion maneuver. Results show <5 km 3? root sum squared position error after 1 week of convergence in the most challenging scenario around the apogee of the transfer.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2026 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 26 - 29, 2026 Hyatt Regency Orange County Anaheim, California
Pages:	643 - 659
Cite this article:	Peters, Brian C., McKnight, Ryan, Ugazio, Sabrina, "Analysis of GNSS-Based Navigation Performance Throughout a Ballistic Lunar Transfer," Proceedings of the 2026 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, California, January 2026, pp. 643-659. https://doi.org/10.33012/2026.20499
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