Space Battlelab's High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model.

摘要

The High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model is a new initiative launched by the Air Force Space Battlelab in January 2001 to improve Air Force Space Command's ability to meet the stringent Space Surveillance Capstone Requirements for satellite trajectory prediction accuracy. For low perigee satellites, these requirements are not consistently met, largely because of current atmospheric density model errors of 15 to 20% 6. This can affect missions like high- precision sensor acquisition of satellites, maneuver planning, re-entry predictions, collision avoidance and risk analysis. The Space Battlelab decided to fund this initiative because of the substantial pay-back expected, and the fact that it involves more risk than the acquisition community or operational community are willing to fund. It is also well suited to the Space Battlelab's project criteria of demonstrating unconventional ways of using existing data and technology to meet mission requirements and being able to demonstrate this in less than 18 months. Finally, this initiative leverages off an earlier Space Battlelab project that demonstrated the promise the basic technique holds, even when only one satellite is used to determine the drag effects.