Trajectory Reconstruction of Sounding Rocket Using Inertial Measurement Unit and Landmark Data

摘要

This paper presents trajectory reconstruction of the ST-9 (space technology) sounding rocket experiment using thenonboard inertial measurement unit data and descent imagery. The raw inertial measurement unit accelerometernmeasurements are first converted into inertial acceleration and then used in trajectory integration. The descentnimages are preprocessed using a map-matching algorithm and unique landmarks for each image are created. Usingnthe converted inertialmeasurement unit data and descent images, the result fromdead-reckoning and the kinematic-nfix approaches are first compared with the global positioning system measurements. Then, both the inertialnmeasurement unit data and landmarks are processed together using a batch least-squares filter and the position,nvelocity, stochastic acceleration, and camera orientation of each image are estimated. The reconstructed trajectory isncompared with the global positioning system data and the corresponding formal uncertainties are presented. Thenresult shows that inertialmeasurement unit data and descent images processed with a batch filter algorithmprovidenthe trajectory accuracy required for pinpoint landing.