On 24 October 1998 NASA launched Deep Space 1, an experimental interplanetary spacecraft used to validate future technologies including an autonomous optical navigation system. Before Deep Space 1, interplanetary navigation was performed primarily through Earth-based measurements to provide accurate position and velocity estimates of the spacecraft. Improvements in imaging and computing technologies, enabling onboard processing and orbit determination, have lead to expanded interest in autonomous spacecraft. Development of autonomous optical navigation systems for interplanetary spacecraft requires extensive modeling and analysis to ensure success. This paper, using a linear covariance analysis, evaluates the efficacy of using optical angles-only measurements of the moons of Jupiter to determine a spacecraft's position and velocity during a Jupiter approach. The analysis also evaluates the dominant error sources in the orbit determination calculations for preflight performance evaluations.
展开▼
