Performance Analysis of the Tracking Loop Design of the Electra Transceiver

A. Mogensen, T. Campbell, and E.G. Lightsey

Abstract:	The Electra UHF Transceiver is a programmable software defined radio that performs a variety of functions, including on-orbit precision navigation and guidance using two-way Doppler measurements. Electra is developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and represents baseline equipment for current and future Mars missions. Electra is a vital component of the Mars Network of orbiters that will provide approaching spacecraft with increased aerocapture reliability and surface landings within 1 km. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) that was launched on August 12, 2005 contains the Electra payload and will form part of the Mars Network. It is anticipated that the first demonstration of the capabilities of Electra as a precision navigation aid will occur during the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, scheduled for launch in 2009 and arrival at Mars in 2010. Electra must be capable of acquiring and tracking a two-way signal under a variety of spacecraft dynamics and signal strengths as the spacecraft approaches Mars. In this paper a detailed dynamic analysis of the approach scenario for the 2010 encounter between MRO and MSL is developed and coupled with a detailed link analysis to produce a highfidelity model of the Electra signal. A software model of the tracking loops of the Electra transceiver has also been developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This model is tested using the high-fidelity signal as input, in order to evaluate the expected performance of the Electra transceiver. The ability of the tracking loops to acquire and track the signal under the full range of Doppler shifts and signal to noise ratios is investigated.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2006 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 18 - 20, 2006 Hyatt Regency Hotel Monterey, CA
Pages:	269 - 277
Cite this article:	Mogensen, A., Campbell, T., Lightsey, E.G., "Performance Analysis of the Tracking Loop Design of the Electra Transceiver," Proceedings of the 2006 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Monterey, CA, January 2006, pp. 269-277.
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