Spacecraft Trajectory Estimation Using a Sampled-Data Extended Kalman Filter with Range-Only Measurements

摘要

Determining the trajectory or a body orbiting the Earth is a fundamental task in astrodynamics. In this paper we use a sampled-data extended Kalman Filter to estimate the trajectory or a target satellite when only range measurements are available from a constellation or orbiting spacecraft. We consider the ability of the filter to acquire the target satellite under time- sparse measurements, and to estimate the eccentricity and inclination of the target satellite's orbit. Our goal is to quantify tradeoffs among acquisition time, tracking accuracy, and measurement sample rate. In addition, when the orbits of the observing spacecraft are all equatorial, it is found that inclination maneuvers for the target satellite are unobservable.