TY - GEN
T1 - Collaborative guidance navigation and control of disaggregated spacecraft in the proximity of minor bodies
AU - Vetrisano, Massimo
AU - Vasile, Massimiliano
PY - 2012/12/1
Y1 - 2012/12/1
N2 - This paper presents an investigation of different state estimation techniques to data fuse the measurements coming from multiple heterogeneous sensors mounted on a disaggregated spacecraft flying in formation with a minor body. Each satellite employs and processes the measurements coming from its own on board measurements combined with the information available from the other members of the formation. Embarked sensors include L1DAR, radar altimeter, high resolution cameras. Various set of sensors are mounted on different satellites in the formation. The orbit determination process is based on the definition of an optimal filtering technique suitable for navigation purposes. Three sequential filtering techniques are analysed: an unscented Kalman filter, an unscented particle filter and a Kalman filter based on high order expansions. Trajectory control is then optimally designed in order to keep the spacecraft orbiting around the asteroid. It is shown that the decentralised processing allows the formation to be single point failure tolerant, since the failure of one spacecraft marginally affects spacecraft operations. When failure on a single spacecraft occurs, other members of the formation can supply for the necessary information which still allows the spacecraft to determine its orbit. A particular strategy applicable to N spacecraft is developed and results are applied to a four spacecraft formation. The use of a disaggregated spacecraft, or swarm, will endow each of the members of the formation with a higher degree of autonomy allowing for accurate autonomous orbit determination with limited intervention from ground. This capability goes into the direction of reducing mission management costs and increasing real time operations which enable to extend mission objectives. Such missions require the definition of particular navigation strategies able to increase the mission reliability and the possibility of coping with both unknown environment and system performance uncertainties. Spacecraft dynamics takes into consideration the effects of gravitational forces from the Sun and the asteroid and solar pressure. In particular the rotation of the inhomogeneous gravity field of the asteroid is modelled and included in the description of the motion of the formation. The paper presents some case studies of a collaborative spacecraft formation flying in the proximity of a minor body. Copyright
AB - This paper presents an investigation of different state estimation techniques to data fuse the measurements coming from multiple heterogeneous sensors mounted on a disaggregated spacecraft flying in formation with a minor body. Each satellite employs and processes the measurements coming from its own on board measurements combined with the information available from the other members of the formation. Embarked sensors include L1DAR, radar altimeter, high resolution cameras. Various set of sensors are mounted on different satellites in the formation. The orbit determination process is based on the definition of an optimal filtering technique suitable for navigation purposes. Three sequential filtering techniques are analysed: an unscented Kalman filter, an unscented particle filter and a Kalman filter based on high order expansions. Trajectory control is then optimally designed in order to keep the spacecraft orbiting around the asteroid. It is shown that the decentralised processing allows the formation to be single point failure tolerant, since the failure of one spacecraft marginally affects spacecraft operations. When failure on a single spacecraft occurs, other members of the formation can supply for the necessary information which still allows the spacecraft to determine its orbit. A particular strategy applicable to N spacecraft is developed and results are applied to a four spacecraft formation. The use of a disaggregated spacecraft, or swarm, will endow each of the members of the formation with a higher degree of autonomy allowing for accurate autonomous orbit determination with limited intervention from ground. This capability goes into the direction of reducing mission management costs and increasing real time operations which enable to extend mission objectives. Such missions require the definition of particular navigation strategies able to increase the mission reliability and the possibility of coping with both unknown environment and system performance uncertainties. Spacecraft dynamics takes into consideration the effects of gravitational forces from the Sun and the asteroid and solar pressure. In particular the rotation of the inhomogeneous gravity field of the asteroid is modelled and included in the description of the motion of the formation. The paper presents some case studies of a collaborative spacecraft formation flying in the proximity of a minor body. Copyright
KW - Autonomy
KW - Disaggregated spacecraft
KW - GNC
KW - High order taylor expansions
KW - Kalman filtering
KW - Minor body proximity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883491858&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution book
AN - SCOPUS:84883491858
SN - 9781622769797
T3 - Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC
SP - 5435
EP - 5447
BT - 63rd International Astronautical Congress 2012, IAC 2012
CY - Paris, France
T2 - 63rd International Astronautical Congress 2012, IAC 2012
Y2 - 1 October 2012 through 5 October 2012
ER -