Distributed Orbit Determination for Global Navigation Satellite System with Inter-Satellite Link

Abstract

To keep the global navigation satellite system functional during extreme conditions, it is a trend to employ autonomous navigation technology with inter-satellite link. As in the newly built BeiDou system (BDS-3) equipped with Ka-band inter-satellite links, every individual satellite has the ability of communicating and measuring distances among each other. The system also has less dependence on the ground stations and improved navigation performance. Because of the huge amount of measurement data, the centralized data processing algorithm for orbit determination is suggested to be replaced by a distributed one in which each satellite in the constellation is required to finish a partial computation task. In the present paper, the balanced extended Kalman filter algorithm for distributed orbit determination is proposed and compared with the whole-constellation centralized extended Kalman filter, the iterative cascade extended Kalman filter, and the increasing measurement covariance extended Kalman filter. The proposed method demands a lower computation power; however, it yields results with a relatively good accuracy.

The Communication and Measurement Architecture of BDS-3 Global Operations and Services

“…The core of autonomous navigation lies in using ISL data to autonomously estimate satellite orbits and onboard clock errors, thereby maintaining the constellation ephemeris. Currently, two processing methods can achieve this goal: centralized and distributed algorithms [22,23].…”

“…Guo [28] assessed the effectiveness of the proposed extended KF using 30 days of ISL data from 18 MEO satellites. Wen [29] introduced a balanced extended KF algorithm for distributed orbit determination. However, the current study relies on simulated data rather than actual on-orbit ISL data.…”

Dynamic Behavior Analysis and Stability Control of Tethered Satellite Formation Deployment

“…In recent years, satellite development has rapidly increased worldwide [ 1 , 2 ]. In particular, Tethered Space Systems (TSSs) have received significant attention in aerospace research as a result of their significant advantages: dexterousness, long life cycles and fuel-less engines [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”