• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.163-173
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• 2018

This paper presents relative navigation using intermittent laser-based measurement data for spacecraft flying formation that consist of two spacecrafts; namely, chief and deputy spacecrafts. The measurement data consists of the relative distance measured by a femtosecond laser, and the relative angles between the two spacecrafts. The filtering algorithms used for the relative navigation are the extended Kalman filter (EKF), unscented Kalman filter (UKF), and least squares recursive filter (LSRF). Numerical simulations reveal that the relative navigation performances of the EKF- and UKF-based relative navigation algorithms decrease in accuracy as the measurement outage period increases. However, the relative navigation performance of the UKF-based algorithm is 95 % more accurate than that of the EKF-based algorithm when the measurement outage period is 80 sec. Although the relative navigation performance of the LSRF-based relative navigation algorithm is 94 % and 370 % less accurate than those of the EKF- and UKF-based navigation algorithms, respectively, when the measurement outage period is 5 sec; the navigation error varies within a range of 4 %, even though the measurement outage period is increased. The results of this study can be applied to the design of a relative navigation strategy using the developed algorithms with laser-based measurements for spacecraft formation flying.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.287-293
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• 2018

This paper presents a satellite relative navigation strategy for formation flying, which chooses an appropriate navigation algorithm according to the operating environment. Not only global positioning system (GPS) measurements, but laser measurements can also be utilized to determine the relative positions of satellites. Laser data is used solely or together with GPS measurements. Numerical simulations were conducted to compare the relative navigation algorithm using only laser data and laser data combined with GPS data. If an accurate direction of laser pointing is estimated, the relative position of satellites can be determined using only laser measurements. If not, the combined algorithm has better performance, and is irrelevant to the precision of the relative angle data between two satellites in spherical coordinates. Within 10 km relative distance between satellites, relative navigation using double difference GPS data makes more precise relative position estimation results. If the simulation results are applied to the relative navigation strategy, the proper algorithm can be chosen, and the relative position of satellites can be estimated precisely in changing mission environments.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.59-74
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• 2009

Relative navigation system is presented using GPS measurements from a single-channel global positioning system (GPS) simulator. The objective of this study is to provide the real-time inter-satellite relative positions as well as absolute positions for two formation flying satellites in low earth orbit. To improve the navigation performance, the absolute states are estimated using ion-free GRAPHIC (group and phase ionospheric correction) pseudo-ranges and the relative states are determined using double differential carrier-phase data and singled-differential C/A code data based on the extended Kalman filter and the unscented Kalman filter. Furthermore, pseudo-relative dynamic model and modified relative measurement model are developed. This modified EKF method prevents non-linearity of the measurement model from degrading precision by applying linearization about absolute navigation solutions not about the priori estimates. The LAMBDA method also has been used to improve the relative navigation performance by fixing ambiguities to integers for precise relative navigation. The software-based simulation has been performed and the steady state accuracies of 1 m and 6 mm ($1{\sigma}$ of 3-dimensional difference errors) are achieved for the absolute and relative navigation using EKF for a short baseline leader/follower formation. In addition, the navigation performances are compared for the EKF and the UKF for 10 hours simulation, and relative position errors are mm-level for the two filters showing the similar trends.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2016

This study developed an approach for improving Carrier-phase Differential Global Positioning System (CDGPS) based realtime satellite relative navigation by applying laser baseline measurement data. The robustness against the space operational environment was considered, and a Synthetic Wavelength Interferometer (SWI) algorithm based on a femtosecond laser measurement model was developed. The phase differences between two laser wavelengths were combined to measure precise distance. Generated laser data were used to improve estimation accuracy for the float ambiguity of CDGPS data. Relative navigation simulations in real-time were performed using the extended Kalman filter algorithm. The GPS and laser-combined relative navigation accuracy was compared with GPS-only relative navigation solutions to determine the impact of laser data on relative navigation. In numerical simulations, the success rate of integer ambiguity resolution increased when laser data was added to GPS data. The relative navigational errors also improved five-fold and two-fold, relative to the GPS-only error, for 250 m and 5 km initial relative distances, respectively. The methodology developed in this study is suitable for application to future satellite formation-flying missions.

• Journal of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.357-366
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• 2020

This paper addressed a relative navigation method for autonomous rendezvous and docking of cube-satellites using single frequency Differential GPS (DGPS) under the intermittent communication between satellites. Since the ionospheric error of GPS measurement is variable depending on the visible satellites, a few meters error of relative navigation is occurred in the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) environment. Therefore, it is essential to remove the ionospheric error to perform relative navigation. Besides, an intermittent communication period for receiving GPS measurements of the target satellite is limited for getting information every sampling time. To solve this problem, a method combining range domain DGPS and orbit propagation is proposed in this paper. The proposed method improves the performance of DGPS by using Hatch filter and solves an intermittent communication problem by estimating the relative position and velocity using Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire Equation. Through the simulation, it is verified that the suggested algorithm provides the relative position error within RMS 0.5 m and the relative velocity error within RMS 3 cm/s. Furthermore, it has the advantage that it is suitable for real-time implementation using single-frequency GPS measurements and is computationally efficient.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.34.3-34.3
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• 2008

Relative navigation system is presented using measurements from a single-channel global positioning system (GPS) simulator. The objective of this study is to provide real-time relative navigation results as well as absolute navigation results for two formation flying satellites separated about 1km in low earth orbit. To improve the performance, more accurate dynamic model and modified relative measurement model are developed. This modified method prevents non-linearity of the measurement model from degrading precision by applying linearization about the states from absolute navigation algorithm not about a priori states. Furthermore, absolute states are obtained using ion-free GRAPHIC pseudo-ranges and precise relative states are provided using double differential carrier-phase data based on Extended Kalman Filter. The software-based simulation is performed and achieved meter-level precision for absolute navigation and millimeter-level precision for relative navigation. The absolute and relative accuracies at steady state are about 0.77m and 4mm respectively (3D, r.m.s.). In addition, Integer ambiguity algorithm (LAMBDA method) improves simulation performances.

• Journal of Advanced Navigation Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.528-538
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• 2016

In this paper, an extend kalman filter based relative navigation algorithm is proposed for Link-K based relative navigation. Link-K is a tactical data link system for joint operation capability upgrade of ROK forces. Link-K is inter-operable with Link-16 and transmit and received information of operations and target. In Link-K communication channel, PPLI message including transmitter position and TOA measurement can be used for relative navigation. Therefore Link-K based relative navigation system can be operated. In this paper, software based simulations were carried out for operational feasibility test and performance verification as error factors of proposed Link-K based relative navigation system.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.426-432
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• 2012

The positions of vessels in JTIDS where each vessel broadcasts its position, can be found using the relative navigation method. Besides positioning, the relative navigation could be adopted for identification friend or foe, tracking targets, monitoring battle field and etc. In this paper, we have explained the fundamental operation and technical structure for the relative navigation and implemented the simulation platform to evaluate the basic function and performance of the system in arbitrary environment. Using platform, the availability of relative navigation within the group network and the characteristic of the algorithm for position prediction was verified. Based on the simulation result, it was verified that EKF based navigation algorithm could produce great initial error and need quite convergence time. To improve the performance, we proposed a new navigation algorithm which uses the minimum norm estimation algorithm until the EKF converges. The simulation results reveal the relative navigation can be effectively used in the formation flight and collision avoidance system.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.387-393
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• 2015

This study presents a precise relative navigation algorithm using both laser and Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements in real time. The measurement model of the navigation algorithm between two spacecraft is comprised of relative distances measured by laser instruments and single differences of GPS pseudo-range measurements in spherical coordinates. Based on the measurement model, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is applied to smooth the pseudo-range measurements and to obtain the relative navigation solution. While the navigation algorithm using only laser measurements might become inaccurate because of the limited accuracy of spacecraft attitude estimation when the distance between spacecraft is rather large, the proposed approach is able to provide an accurate solution even in such cases by employing the smoothed GPS pseudo-range measurements. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the errors of the proposed algorithm are reduced by more than about 12% compared to those of an algorithm using only laser measurements, as the accuracy of angular measurements is greater than $0.001^{\circ}$ at relative distances greater than 30 km.

• Journal of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.117-123
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• 2017

In this paper, we propose a performance index that can compare the position estimation performance according to the time slot allocation order, which is superior in the position estimation performance in the operation of the Link-16 based relative navigation system. In order to verify the validity of the performance index, a software-based Link-16 relative navigation system performance analysis platform composed of a signal generator, a signal reception and navigation algorithm execution unit, and a performance analysis unit was designed. Using the designed software platform, we analyzed the relationship between proposed performance index and position estimation performance according to time slot allocation order in the same position reference (PR) arrangement. The performance index of the proposed time slot allocation is expected to be utilized not only for the Link-16 system, but also for the Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)-based navigation system.